SFTC Picks for Thursday, August 22

Ok everybody, before we get to our Streak for the Cash picks for tomorrow, we have exciting news!  Our Fantasy Football league is now set up!  Click on the Football Games tab above to view our football site and get all of the details!  Space is limited and the draft will be Saturday, August 31, so be sure to act quickly!  If you have any questions, send us a tweet @TheFantasySC or leave a comment on this post.  Good luck!


Our top stash pick:

1. NFL:  Baltimore Ravens

Our picks for every prop:

1. Golf:  Matt Kuchar or tie
• It's hard to know what to expect with Tiger.  Some days he's on fire and other days he's just awful.  So which Tiger will show up for this tournament?  It's hard to tell.  Kuchar, though not as talented a golfer, has been more consistent than Tiger.  I'll take my chances on the tie option for the first round's back nine.
• Confidence: 55%
2. Golf:  Phil Mickelson
• Again, Mickelson has been more consistent and good I think than Bill Haas.  
• Confidence: 50%
3. MLB:  Philadelphia Phillies
• The Rockies lead the season series 3 - 2, but the Phillies are the favorites at -130 for this game. The Phillies send Kyle Kendrick to the mound, who is 10 - 10 with a 4.36 ERA on the season. The Rockies send out Chad Bettis who is 0 - 2 with a 5.30 ERA on the season.  Clearly Bettis is not nearly as experienced as Kendrick.  The Phillies are just 3 - 7 in their last 10, but they should add to their win column tonight.
• Confidence: 65%
4. NFL:  New England Patriots
• The Patriots have won both of their preseason games so far.  They are also 3 - 0 in head-to-head matches against the Lions since 2001.  That stat can't be taken too much into account for this game though because this is a preseason game and both teams are very different from their latest matchup which was in 2010.  Still, the Patriots have looked good this preseason and the Lions are just 1 - 1.  Even though the Lions are at home, the Patriots should win this game.
• Confidence: 70%
5. NFL:  Baltimore Ravens
• The Ravens have won both of their preseason games so far, one at home and one on the road.  They trail Carolina 1 to 2 in head-to-head matches since 2001, but the Ravens won the most recent one.  Still, the Ravens have looked good this preseason, including coming back big late against the Falcons in their last game.  An added bonus for the Ravens is that they are at home for this game and the Panthers have lost their only other preseason road game this year.
• Confidence: 70%
6. MLB:  St. Louis Cardinals
• Both the Braves and the Cardinals are 6 - 4 in their last 10 games.  The Braves lead the season series 3 - 0 and had an extra-innings win against the Mets yesterday, but the pitching matchup for this game definitely favors St. Louis.  The Braves will start Paul Maholm who is just coming off of the disabled list and hasn't pitched since July 20.  He is 9 - 9 with a 4.41 ERA on the season.  The Cardinals start Joe Kelly who is 4 - 3 with a 3.01 ERA this season, including a road win on August 17 against the Cubs.  
• Confidence: 70%
7. MLB:  Pittsburgh Pirates
• Although Matt Cain got the win the last time he faced the Pirates, he is only 8 - 8 with a 4.35 ERA on the season.  The Pirates are 2 - 1 against the Giants this season, although the scheduled starting pitcher for this game, Jeff Locke hasn't faced them this season.  Locke has done well this season, going 9 - 4 with a 2.90 ERA.
• Confidence: 70%

Streak for the Cash picks for Saturday, August 17

Man, we missed some picks on some incredible outcomes.  Case in point: Nick Watney misses a 3 foot putt to tie with Ernie Els in golf!  How do you miss a 3 foot putt?  Anyway, on a good note, I did win all four tennis props, although I didn't get them all posted here.  The English Premier league starts today, so expect a lot more soccer props from now on!  Most of the other European leagues such as La Liga and the Bundesliga also start soon I believe.  

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to football season!  I will try and get a fantasy football league set up tomorrow, but for sure by Wednesday I'll have the league set up and posts for the other fantasy games as well.

Now let's get to Streak for the Cash picks!  I don't have write-ups for every prop, but I do have picks.

Our top stash pick:

1. NFL:  Cincinnati Bengals

Our picks for every prop:

1. Soccer:  Stoke City win/draw/lose by 1
• The two results between Liverpool and Stoke City last season were a 0 - 0 draw at Liverpool and a 3 - 1 win for Stoke City at home.  In fact, Liverpool hasn't beaten Stoke City by 2+ in their last 5 head-to-head matchups.  Liverpool also lost their first game of the EPL last season to West Bromwich 3 - 0.  Stoke City is missing a couple of mid-fielders for this match, but that shouldn't make too much of a difference.
• Confidence: 70%
2. Golf:  Patrick Reed or tie
• Reed's scores for rounds 1 and 2 were 65 and 64 respectively.  Huh's scores for the same rounds were 68 and 62 respectively.  Reed and Huh are 1 and 2 atop the leaderboard.  It's kind of hard to say how the course will play in round 3, but Reed has been consistent over the first two rounds and having the tie option appears to be the safer pick.
• Confidence: 50%
3. Soccer:  Swansea City win or draw
• Last season's results between ManU and Swansea were a 1 - 1 draw at Swansea and a 2 - 1 win for ManU at home.  Manchester United has some key injuries for this match.  de Guzman is out due to a concussion, and Ashley Young, Nani, Rafael, and Javier Hernandez are all expected to be sidelined.  Swansea is better than most people think, and I think it will take time for ManU to get used to their new manager.
• Confidence: 65%
4. Other:  Philadelphia Soul win or single digit loss
5. Tennis:  Any Other Result
• Del Potro and Isner have played each other 3 times in the last 4 years.  Del Potro has won every match, but Isner took the most recent one, the final at Washington in early August, to three sets.  Isner is coming off of a monstrous upset of Novak Djokovic in three sets.  Both of these players have played very well.  I think Isner has enough to take at least one set, especially if he continues to serve like he did in the Djokovic match.  
• Confidence: 65%
6. MLB:  New York Yankees
• Man did I get burned taking the Red Sox by 2+ runs yesterday.  That was not a good move, so today I'm definitely going with the Yankees, especially with Kuroda on the mound.  He is 4 - 1 with a 0.94 ERA in his last seven starts.  He's just been on fire!  Lackey on the other hand has lost his last four starts, posting a 4.96 ERA over that span.  Kuroda and Lackey last dueled it out on July 20, a game the Yankees won 5 - 2.  Boston is listed as the favorite at -130 but I just can't pick against Kuroda.
• Confidence:  70%
7. MLB:  St. Louis Cardinals
• The Cardinals were blanked by the Cubs yesterday 7 - 0.  I picked Carlos Beltran on Beat the Streak and he had the Cardinals' only two hits, so lucky me!  The Cardinals have been struggling a bit lately, but luckily Wood hasn't had much success againt them or many other teams for that matter, as that Cubs have lost 10 of his last 13 starts.  The season series is tied at 7, but I think the Cards win today and take a lead in the season series.  The Cubs have played them tough and for some reason are a thorn in the Cardinals' side.
• Confidence: 60%
8. NFL:  Dallas Cowboys
9. Soccer:  Valencia Win
• Valencia has won 7 of the last 10 head-to-head meetings with Malaga, 4 of them at home and 3 on the road.  This is the first day of the Primera Division season as well as the start of the EPL.  Given the past history between these two teams, Valencia winning is a pretty safe bet, especially because they are at home.
• Confidence: 65%
10. NFL:  Cincinnati Bengals
•  The Bengals beat the Falcons in their first preseason game and the Titans lost by 1 to the Redskins.  In week 2 of the preseason, the Bengals should win again.  They are much more talented offensively than the Titans, and their defense is constantly improving.  Plus, the starters should play more this week than last week.  The Bengals should be really good this year.
• Confidence: 75%
11. Tennis:  19 games or more
• Williams and Na have met 7 times in the last 4 years, though one of those doesn't really count since it was a walkover for Na.  Li Na has only taken 1 set out of all of those matches, so don't expect this to go three sets.  However, the total games played for each of their head-to-head meetings were as follows: 22, 22, 21, 26, 22, and 31, so none of their previous head-to-head matches has even gone under 21 games, let alone 18.  Serena will likely win, but I'd be very surprised if this went under, especially with Serena's lazy play lately.
• Confidence: 75%
12. NFL:  New York Jets
• The Jaguars lost their first preseason game to the Dolphins 27 - 3.  The Jets also lost, but had a much more respectable showing, losing to the Lions 26 - 17.  The Jaguars are not good, and although the Jets aren't a premier team either, they are certainly better than the Jaguars.  Even though this is preseason, the Jets being at home and needing desperately to get offense going should come out victorious.
• Confidence: 65%
13. NFL:  St. Louis Rams
• The Packers had a very shocking and disappointing result in week 1 of the preseason, losing to the Cardinals 17 - 0 at home!  The Rams also lost, but with a much more favorable result, a 27 - 19 road loss to the Browns.  The Rams are at home for this game, and with the Packers still trying to figure things out on offense, the Rams are poised to win in week 2 of this preseason.
• Confidence: 60%
14. NFL:  Houston Texans
• Miami has played two preseason games already since they played the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game.  They lost that game, but then won the next one, beating the Jaguars convincingly. The Texans also won last week, beating the Vikings on the road 27 - 13.  Now the Texans are at home and should get another win.  You should watch out for Deandre Hopkins, the Texans' wide receiver.  He'll be of great fantasy value this season.
• Confidence: 70%
15. MLB:  Texas Rangers
16. Soccer:  Philadelphia Union win or draw
17. MLB:  New York Mets
18. MLB:  Cleveland Indians
19. Soccer:  Vancouver Whitecaps win or draw
20. NFL:  Seattle Seahawks
21. WNBA:  Seattle Storm
22. Other:  Any Other Result
23. Other:  Mauricio Rua
24. Soccer:  Real Salt Lake win or draw

SFTC Picks for Friday, August 16

Wouldn't you know it: the Nationals give up a three-run homer with two outs int the top of the ninth to lose the game yesterday.  Oh well.  We still had a pretty good day yesterday, especially with the NFL props.  We have most of the props listed here and will hopefully be able to post the rest later today.
  
Our top stash pick:

1. MLB:  Los Angeles Dodgers

Our picks for every prop:

1. Tennis:  Yes, 1+ tiebreaks played
• Djokovic and Isner have played 4 times in the last 4 years.  They played at least 1 tiebreak in each of those matches.  So if you're picking based on history alone, the 1+ tiebreaks option is the favorable pick.  Isner has already played a few tiebreaks in his run through this Western and Southern Open tournament.  Djokovic hasn't played any tiebreaks in this tournament, but he has had the easier draw.  I think Isner's big serve will keep him in the first set, especially because Djokovic tends to play slow in the first set.  
• Confidence: 65%
2. Golf:  Nick Watney or tie
• Watney shot a 72 and Els a 71 in round 1.  Previous rounds mean next to nothing in golf, and honestly I'm not very good at picking golf, but I think Watney can at least tie in this round.
• Confidence: 40%
3. Soccer:  
• Lyon is first in the current league standings and Sochaux 12th, though those don't mean too much because they have only played one league game so far.  In their last 5 head-to-head matchups, Sochaux has won or drawn 3 of those 5, including a 2 - 1 victory at Lyon in their latest match back in March.  Sochaux should at least draw at home, although Lyon has won the last few times they've been featured on SFTC.
• Confidence: 50%
4. MLB:  Los Angeles Dodgers
• The Dodgers are the hottest team in baseball right now, going 40 - 8 since early June.  The Phillies have been the complete opposite.  Cliff Lee has been great against the Dodgers, going 2 - 1 with a 1.40 ERA over his last 6 starts against them, but I really don't think his team has enough to pull off a victory against the Dodgers.  Greinke has been great as well, going 7 - 1 with a 2.49 ERA over his last ten starts.  I'm a little concerned that the Phillies are listed as the favorites at -102.  I don't get that.  Dodgers should be the clear favorites here.
• Confidence: 75%
5. NFL:  Buffalo Bills
• The Vikings lost their first preseason game to the Texans at home.  The Bills soundly beat the Colts on the road in their first game.  Honestly there's not too much to go off of for this game for me, I just think the Bills will get the win at home.
• Confidence: 50%
6. MLB:  Yes, Cabrera, Davis, or both hit a home run
• The Tigers play the Royals and the Orioles the Rockies today.  So Cabrera will face Danny Duffy whom he is 3 for 10 against over the last 5 years.  Chris Davis will face Juan Nicasio, whom he has never faced.  These two are clearly the MLB leading home run hitters, so hopefully at least one of them should get one tonight.  This is definitely not an easy green though.
• Confidence: 50%
7. MLB:  Red Sox win by 2+ runs
• The Red Sox lead the season series 6 - 3 and each of those wins was by 2+ except for the most recent.  They are heavily favored in this game (-181), and although they had a terrible road trip, they are back at home now and should turn things around. `
• Confidence: 65%

SFTC Picks for Thursday, August 15

Man what a day yesterday!  Just when it looked like the sheep were going to win every prop, the Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays, causing one of the most massive leaderboard crashes in recent memory!  This game is crazy, but oh so fun.  I apologize for the lack of picks yesterday.  All picks for today are now posted though.  Good luck to all!

Our top stash pick:

1. MLB:  Washington Nationals

Our picks for every prop:

1. Golf:  Boo Weekley
• I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very good at picking golf.  It is definitely the sport I know that least about.  So honestly, I wouldn't trust my advice on golf very much, but I'm trying to help out. Weekley has done better than Bae in the previous two tournaments they played in.  In fact, Bae missed the cut in their last tournament, the PGA Championship.  
• Confidence: 40%
2. Golf:  Brandt Snedeker
• Again, I don't know much about golf, but it seems like Snedeker has been better and more consistent of late.  
• Confidence: 40%
3. MLB:  Los Angeles Angels
• The Yankees lead the season series 4 - 2 and have won the previous three games of this series. They are barely the favorites tonight at -105 and the Angels are due for a win.  With Wilson on the mound, the Angels are in a good position to do that.  Wilson is 12 - 6 with a 3.49 ERA on the season.  For the Yankees, Phil Hughes is just 4 - 11 with a 4.99 ERA on the season.  The Yankees have really had the Angels' number these past couple of games, but I really think the Angels avoid the sweep and get a much-needed win.
• Confidence: 60%
4. Tennis:  1st Set
• I'm really torn on this prop, but I think 1st set has the slight advantage here.  The main reason I'm torn is that in a number of tennis matches recently, the 2nd set has been an "upset" set and has had more games played than the first.  Examples are the Sharapova/Stephens, Azarenka/Ivanovic, Murray/Youzhny, and Isner/Mayer matches.  The main reason I'm going first is that Djokovic usually starts slow, and Goffin isn't a rollover player and will have to come out blazing if he's to have any shot at winning.  They played each other back in May at the French open. In that match, the fist set was 7 - 6 and the 2nd was 6 - 4.
• Confidence: 50%
5. MLB:  St. Louis Cardinals
• The Pirates lead the season series 8 - 4, but the Cardinals are at home and are the favorites at -127.  Lynn has a much better record (13 - 6 ) than Burnett (5 - 8), but has a higher ERA.  Still, the Cards don't want to give up any more ground and I think they rebound from yesterday.
• Confidence: 60%
6. Tennis:  John Isner first breaks serve or no breaks of serve
• The likelihood of there being no breaks of serve in this match is so small that you can just rule it out.  So basically this boils down to who will break serve first, Isner or Raonic.  Isner is famous for his serve and has been serving extremely well of late.  Raonic did break serve first when they played last year in Toronto, but Isner has just been so on fire with his serve lately that I have to think he will break serve first.  
• Confidence: 50%
7. Tennis:  Any Other Result
• Federer and Haas have played each other 4 times in the last 4 years, and the Any Other Result option would have won 3 out of those 4 times.  They have never played each other on hard court, but they both play well on all surfaces and both have similar styles of play.  Roger has been a little down lately though, and given their match history I think Haas can take at least one set.
• Confidence: 60%
8. MLB:  Washington Nationals
• The Nationals go for the series sweep tonight and they need every win they can get if they're going to get into the postseason.  They're 8 1/2 games behind the Reds for the second wild card spot and 14 games back of Atlanta.  They're closing the gap though and have a great chance to continue doing that tonight as they face a Giants team that is really struggling.  Haren has been great for the Nats, winning his last 3 while posting a 1.29 ERA and holding batters to a 0.157 average.  This is just the second start for Vogelsong after returning from a broken hand.  He has also never pitched in Washington D.C. 
• Confidence: 70%
9. MLB:  Boston Red Sox
• Man, what a leaderboard crash the Blue Jays caused last night!  I think Boston bounces back tonight though to avoid losing two consecutive series.  Buerhle is 0 - 4 with a 4.97 ERA in 8 starts against the Red Sox.  Peavy has had mixed results with the Red Sox, but I think he'll outduel Buerhle tonight and get the Red Sox back on track.
• Confidence: 60%
10. NFL:  Cleveland Browns
• Both the Lions and the Browns won their first preseason game.  Trent Richardson did not play in the Browns' first game though and is scheduled to play tonight.  He probably won't play more than a couple of series, but he is clearly their best player and should have a monstrous impact.  It is the preseason though, and anything can happen.  Starters don't play too long, and it's mostly about the depth players cementing their place on the depth chart.  I just think with the Browns being at home and having Richardson they will get the win.
• Confidence: 65%
11. NFL:  Carolina Panthers
• The Panthers won their first preseason game against the Bears, and the Eagles lost theirs against the Patriots.  Nick Foles will start this second preseason game for the Eagles, though Vick will likely get some time in the 2nd quarter.  LeSean McCoy is also set to start for the Eagels.  The Eagles just have too many question marks at this point though, so I'm taking the Panthers in this one.
• Confidence: 65%
12. NFL:  Baltimore Ravens
• In their first preseason games, the Falcons lost at home to the Bengals and the Ravens won big on the road against Tampa Bay.  The Falcons are without Michael Turner from last season and the Ravens lost Pitta for the season.  Even though this is a "meaningless preseason game", the Ravens should win at home.
• Confidence: 50%
13. NFL:  Chicago Bears
• In their first preseason game, the Bears lost on the road to the Panthers.  The Chargers were beaten by 21 at home by the Seahawks in their first preseason game.  The Bears lost a few key players on defense, but they are still more talented than the Chargers on defense, and definitely better on offense.  Their loss to the Panthers is a little concerning, but this is the preseason after all, so it's nothing to be too worried about.  The Bears should take this one at home.
• Confidence: 60%
14. NFL:  2 touchdowns or fewer
• The Bears scored 1 touchdown in the first half in their only preseason game so far.  The Chargers didn't score any touchdowns in the first half of their previous preseason game.  Hopefully the offense will be better for this game, but since starters don't last too long in preseason games and the backups for these teams aren't super impressive, I don't think we can count on a ton of offense.  Two touchdowns or fewer is the best pick in my opinion, but who knows, maybe we'll see some good offense tonight.  I wouldn't mind that at all.
• Confidence: 45%
15. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds
• The Reds are coming off of a series sweep of the Cubs and have been rolling of late in large part due to excellent pitching.  The Reds lead the season series against the Brewers 6 - 3 and are the favorites at -144.  Even though Cingrani has been a little suspect lately and Lohse hasn't lost at home since early May, I think Lohse's streak ends tonight and the Reds continue to inch closer to the Pirates and Cardinals.  
• Confidence: 65%
16. MLB:  Minnesota Twins
• The Twins lead the season series againt the lowly White Sox 9 - 3.  Pelfrey hasn't been very successful against the White Sox or against any teams lately.  He has just 1 win since May 10.  Rienzo was just called up a couple weeks ago and hasn't been stellar either.  The White Sox have lost their last 9 road games, and I think the Twins make it 10 tonight and Pelfrey finally breaks out of his slump. 
• Confidence: 55%
17. Tennis:  18 games or more
• Serena and Mona have never played each other so there is no previous history to go off of for this match.  It is probably most likely that Serena will win in straight sets, but Mona would only have to win 6 games for 18+ to win, and that's totally doable.  Serena's last match, against Bouchard of Canada, went 3 sets and Serena was even more favored in that match than she is in this one.  
• Confidence: 65%
18. NFL:  Yes, both teams score in the 3rd quarter
• At first glance this seems like an easy pick.  However, neither the Bears nor the Chargers scored in the 3rd quarter of their only other preseason game so far.  If any team doesn't score, I think the Chargers are the most likely culprit.  Hopefully the teams have gotten their rust out and can each at least score a field goal in the third quarter.
• Confidence:  45%
19. WNBA:  Seattle Storm
• These two teams were featured on SFTC back in early July, a game which Chicago led big in the 3rd quarter but ended up losing the game.  WNBA teams are notorious for giving up big leads and losing games in the 4th quarter.  It's one reason the WNBA is almost unbearable to watch.  Anyway, Delle Donne is most likely out for this game and the Sky have lost 3 straight to the Storm on the road.  Both teams are 3 - 2 in their last 5 games, but the Storm have the edge since their at home and Delle Donne will most likely sit.
• Confidence: 60%
20. MLB:  New York Mets
• The Mets have lost 3 in a row, but the Padres have been even worse, losing 6 of their last 8.  Wheeler has been great for the Mets, though most of his success has been on the road.  It's a good thing the Mets are on the road for this game then.  He is 4 - 0 with a 2.21 ERA and holding batters to a .206 average over his last 6 road starts.  Tyson Ross has never pitched against the Mets, but he has had solid numbers so far.  The Padres are favored at -146, but I just think the Mets are better and will get the win tonight. 
• Confidence: 65%

SFTC picks for Wednesday, August 14

I've got a lot of work to do today, so I'll try to do write-ups when I can.  

Our picks for every prop:

1. MLB:  Chicago White Sox
• The Tigers are favored at -157, but I don't think they're as safe as people think.  Anytime a pick is hot and 98+% percent are picking one way, the result is quite often a sheep slaughter. I'm going to take a chance with the White Sox, who have won the previous 2 games of this series against the Tigers.
• Confidence: 45%

SFTC picks for Tuesday, August 13

Hello everybody and welcome back.  Summer semester is over for me so I will have some time to post picks and get our football site ready.  Hopefully you are having a good month streaking.  Are you ready for football?  We sure are, and these next two weeks can't go by fast enough :)

I have also started to do Beat the Streak Picks again, so make sure you check out the Baseball games site for those picks and some BTS news!

Our top stash pick:

1. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds

Our picks for every prop:

1. Tennis:  5 games or more
• These two have never played each other so there's not much to go off of except for recent form.  Azarenka is definitely favored to win and should do so, but she has been very inconsistent of late, especially in the last two to three rounds of Carlsbad.  King has won her last three matches and has looked pretty good.  She should be able to take at least 5 games, especially due to Azarenka's struggling serve.
• Confidence: 65%
2. Tennis:  Any other result
• These two have only played once, a match that Mayer won 2 - 0 (at Miami on hard court).  Isner has lost at least one set in each of his last 4 matches.  Mayer has won at least one set in 4 of his last 5 matches.  Isner is certainly the favorite to win, but Mayer should take at least one set.
• Confidence: 65%
3. Soccer:  Sligo Rovers
• I would definitely not pick this match with anything more than a win 5.  The odds are pretty much even for either team to win.  In the Irish Premeir league table, Sligo is 3rd with a GD of +23.  Shamrock is 5th in the table with a GD of +9.  Sligo has won both of their previous matches in this tournament 4 - 0 while Shamrock has won their previous two games of this tournament 1 - 0 and 2 - 1.  Although this is not a Premier league game and Shamrock is at home, I think Sligo is a little bit better and will advance.
• Confidence: 50%
4. MLB:  Washington Nationals
• The Giants lead the season series 2 - 1, but all of those games were played in San Francisco.  Bumgarner and Gonzalez last faced off against each other in the third game of that series, a 2 - 1 win for the Nats.  Bumgarner has a better ERA than Gonzalez on the season, but th Giants have struggled so much offensively lately that I just don't trust them.  The Nats haven't been spectacular of late either, but I trust them more, especially since they're at home.
• Confidence: 70%
5. MLB:  Boston Red Sox
• The Red Sox struggled a bit in their last series, but have had good success against the Blue Jays, going 8 - 5 against them this season.  Dempster has stuggled lately as well, posting a 7.27 ERA over his last 5 starts, although the Red Sox did win all of those games.  The Blue Jays have lost 4 of their last 5 and are bringing up Todd Redmund from Triple-A.  The Red Sox are the favorites at -117.
• Confidence: 70%
6. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds
• Luckily for the Reds, the Cubs are one of the worst teams in the majors for scoring runs.  They have scored 2 or fewer runs in 37 games this season.  The Reds send Homer Bailey to the mound who has been nearly perfect at Wrigley Field, posting a 1.93 ERA in four straight wins there.  Samardzija had a truly awful game in his last start and I don't expect he'll have a drastic turnaround tomorrow.  The Reds beat the Cubs last night and are the favorites (-131) to do it again.
• Confidence: 75%
7. MLB: Cleveland Indians
• The Indians have really struggled lately, losing 7 of their last 8.  The Twins have been on a surge lately, but it's mostly due to great pitching, and nearly all of their runs have been scored via home runs.  I don't know how long that trend can continue, and I think the Indians are due for a win.  I'm not really confident about this one though.
• Confidence: 40%
8. MLB:  Kansas City Royals
• Kansas City beat Miami 6 - 2 last night in their first meeting of the season.  The Royals have won their last two while the Marlins have lost their last two.  The Royals are favorites at -130 and I just can't pick against them with Bruce Chen on the mound at home.  He is undefeated (5 - 0 ) with a 1.79 ERA on the season.
• Confidence: 75%
9. MLB:  Baltimore Orioles
• The O's lost game 1 of the season series between these two teams on a walk-off homer on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth.  I really doubt they lost 2 in a row though.
• Confidence: 60%
10. MLB:  Los Angeles Dodgers
• This game features two great pitchers in Harvey and Ryu.  I expect this will be a low-scoring game, but I think the Dodgers have the edge as they are at home and lead the season series 3 - 1.  
• Confidence: 60%
11. MLB:  6 or more
• This is a tough prop and in reality could go either way.  6+ Ks means averages out to 1 K per pitcher per inning for innings 1 - 3.  Harvey has 178 Ks on the season and Ryu 118.  Just going by their last 3 games, each of these pitchers have averaged 1+ Ks per inning pitched.
• Confidence: 45%

Aug. 1 SFTC Picks

Sweet!  There are several good things about August being here.  First is that it's a new month for Streak For the Cash.  We beat Flo last month, although we didn't win the drawing.  Second is that football season is here!  We will  most likely be starting a Fantasy Football league in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for details.  

School has been crazy busy for me this summer, hence the lack of posts.  I will be graduating in the spring with a bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, so this year will likely take a lot of my time as well, but I'll do my best to provide you with as much help as I can for all of your favorite fantasy games.  We'll be covering a few of the popular football games like College Football Challenge and College Football Pick'em.  If you haven't played those games, I highly recommend them.  

I have the rough draft of my senior project report due tomorrow, so sorry, no writeups today.  Please take time to share the site with your friends and everyone you know!  Also follow us on Twiiter (@TheFantasySC) for up-to-date analysis.

Our top stash picks:

1. MLB:  Cleveland Indians
2. MLB:  Texas Rangers

Our picks for every SFTC prop:

1. Golf:  Dustin Johnson + Adam Scott or Tie
2. MLB:  Cleveland Indians
3. Soccer:  AC Milan 
4. MLB:  New York Mets
5. MLB:  Kansas City Royals
6. Golf:  Phil Mickelson
7. Soccer:  Bayern Munich
8. Soccer:  Swansea City Win
9. WNBA:  Indiana Fever
10. MLB:  St. Louis Cardinals
11. MLB:  Texas Rangers
12. MLB:  Atlanta Braves
13. Soccer:  Chelsea
14. MLB:  Los Angeles Dodgers
15. Other:  Any Other Result
16. WNBA:  Seattle Storm
17. MLB:  Los Angeles Angels
18. Soccer:  Real Madrid Wins by 2+ goals

SFTC picks for Tuesday, July 16

All props with writeups are now posted.  Good luck!

Our top stash pick:

1. MLB:  Yes, 1+ home runs in innings 3 - 6

Our picks for every prop:

1. Other:  Slovakia, France, or Belgium
• The top 3 from these countries are Peter Sagan, Sylvain Chavanel, and Philippe Gilbert, but there are other riders from these countries that are capable of winning this.  I am by no means a cycling expert though and I wouldn't put a high streak on this.
• Confidence:  40%
2. Soccer:  BATE Borisov wins by 2+
• Shakhter is a team from Kazakstan and are 5th in their league table with a record of 8 - 4 - 7 and a GD of +1.  Frankly I've never heard of Shakhter, but I don't think they've ever been in the Champions League.  I do know that BATE Borisov has, and they have played with and beaten some of the top teams in Europe such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.  BATE by 2+ at home seems like a great pick.
• Confidence: 70%
3. Soccer:  Italy Win/Draw/Lose by 1
• These teams haven't played each other since 2009, so I don't think any of the head-to-head results matter much for this one.  Their recent results have been pretty comparable.  Sweden has played more matches this year than Italy.  In their last 10, Sweden has gone 5 - 4 - 1.  Italy has gone 5 - 2 - 3 in their last 10.  The odds definitely favor Sweden, but Italy should not lose by 2+.
• Confidence:  60%
4. Soccer:  Belize win or draw
• I'm going against the grain on this one and taking the draw.  Both of these teams have a GD of -6 in this tournament and both have two losses.  Cuba is definitely favored to win, but so was Honduras when they lost to Trinidad and Tobago.  I just feel like this match has draw written all over it.
• Confidence: 40%
5. Soccer:  USA Win
• Costa Rica has owned the USA recently, going 3 - 1 - 1 against them in their last 5.   However, the USA has really improved their game of late, and have looked good in this Gold Cup.  Both of these teams are basically through to the next round, so this match may end up in a draw, but I think with the USA being at home and needing to continue their momentum, a win for them is more likely.
• Confidence: 65%
6. MLB:  American League All-Stars
• After looking at the lineups for both the American and National leagues, it seems pretty clear that the American league All-Stars should win.  They have the better starting pitcher in Max Sherzer and have the closer Mariano Rivera.  They have the likes of Chris Davis, Mike Trout, and Miguel Cabrera in their starting lineup as well.  
• Confidence: 70%
7. MLB:  Yes, both pitchers record 1+ Ks in the 1st inning
• I think this has a pretty good liklihood, as both of these pitchers have a pretty decent strikeout number and in the 1st inning batters are just getting used to the pitchers.
• Confidence: 60%
8. MLB:  Yes, 1+ home runs in innings 3 - 6
• If the All-Stars can't hit home runs, aint nobody can.  If the no option wins I will quit Streak for the Cash. 
• Confidence: 85%
9. MLB:  7 or 8 plate appearances in the 8th inning
• This option gives an average of 4 plate appearances per side.  Not much else to say about this one.
• Confidence: 60%

SFTC Picks for Friday, July 12

We had a great day on Wednesday, going 10 - 2!  We've missed a couple of days this month because of so many other things going on.  For not having much time to focus on this, things have gone pretty well.  I just can't wait until football season!  I'll try to get the football site going soon, so watch out for announcements for that.  

I don't really like any of the picks for today, so if you have a high streak I suggest sitting the day out.

Our top stash pick:

1. MLB:  Boston Red Sox

Our picks for every prop:

1. Other:  Any Other Cyclist
• In case you didn't notice, this is exactly the same prop as yesterday morning.  Kittel finished 1st and Cavendish 2nd.  If I'm not mistaken, the favorite hasn't won two consecutive props, and for either of these guys to win two days in a row I think would be really tough.  I really don't know much about cycling though, and I definitely wouldn't put a streak higher than W5 on this.
• Confidence: 50%
2. Soccer:  Jablonec Win or Draw
• These teams have faced off 26 times dating back to 1998.  Of those, Plzen has won 10 times, Jablonec has won 10 times, and they have drawn 6 times.  So Jablonec won this prop 16 of the 26 times they faced each other.  Plzen did win the most recent matchup on the road, but Jablonec won the matchup before that on the road as well.  The odds do favor Plzen, but given the history between these two and each team's recent form, I'm taking the draw.
• Confidence: 60%
3. Golf:  Keegan Bradley
• Howell III shot a -3 in round 1 and Bradley a -2.  Usually the opposite happens in subsequent rounds of golf, so that's what I'm going with.
• Confidence: 30%
4. MLB:  St. Louis Cardinals
• A ton of people lost with the Cardinals last night, including the leader with a W19!  I'm really not sold on them tonight, but given the way the season series has gone, I'm taking them here.  The Cardinals lead the season series 5 - 2, and the pattern has gone like this: Cubs, Cards, Cards, Cubs, Cards, Cards, Cubs.  So given the pattern, the Cards should win this one.  It does make me nervous that Kelly is winless so far this season though.  Villanueava hasn't been too much better though, going 2 - 4 with a 3.63 ERA on the season. 
• Confidence: 45%
5. Soccer:  2 goals or fewer
• These teams have a long history dating back to 1968.  They have played each other 17 times since then, and 3 or more goals have been scored 9 of those 17 times.  Their most recent matchup was in December of 2012 and the result was a 0 - 0 draw.  So far each team has played one game in this tournament.  Haiti lost 2 - 0 and Trinidad and Tobago drew 2 - 2.  I don't think you can count on Haiti scoring in this match, so the real question is if Trinidad and Tobago will score 3 or more.  
• Confidence: 60%
6. MLB:  Kansas City Royals
• After losing a few games, the Indians finally got a win yesterday.  Now they welcome the Royals to town, who they currently have a 2 1/2 game lead over in the AL Central.  The season series between these two is tied at 5 - 5.  The Royals starts with Bruce Chen who is 3 - 0 with a 2.41 ERA on the season and is 3 - 0 with a 2.16 ERA in four starts in Cleveland (going back to 2010).  Corey Kluber on the other hand is 6 - 5 with a 4.23 ERA on the season but is just 0 - 1 with a 6.61 ERA in his last three starts.
• Confidence: 60%
7. MLB:  Pittsburgh Pirates
• Pittsburgh leads the season series 3 - 1, and all of those games were played in New York.  Now the Pirates welcome the Mets, who are coming off of a series sweep of the Giants and have won their last 4.  It may be hard for the Pirates to get a win against Hefner because he has a 1.64 ERA since June 4 and has allowed only 1 run in 6 of his last 7 starts.  I think they can do it, though I'm not super confident about it. Morton is winless at home against the Mets, but the Pirates are favorites at -142 and are at home, so I'll take a chance.
• Confidence: 45%
8. MLB:  Atlanta Braves
• There's nothing really convincing me to take the Reds in this one.  The Braves lead the season series 3 - 1, and this and all remaing games between these two will be played in Atlanta.  The Braves are the favorites at -133, both pitchers have pretty similar numbers, and the Braves are at home.  
• Confidence: 65%
9. Other:  Montreal Alouettes
• I didn't realize that Dan Hawkins was the coach of the Alouettes until I watched them play a few days ago.  He was the coach at Boise State while I was a student there.  Anyway, neither team has been great this year.  Monteal is 1 - 3 and Calgary 2 - 2.  These teams haven't played each other this year, but each won at home last year.
• Confidence: 60%
10. Other:  Touchdown
• The no score option will not happen, so this is basically a touchdown vs. field goal or rouge. This is pretty much a toss-up prop, but touchdowns occur much more frequently than rouges or field goals in the CFL. (most football actually)
• Confidence: 50%
11. Soccer:  El Salvador Win or Draw
• The last 5 times these teams have met head to head, Honduras won 3 times and they drew twice.  The most recent match on January 18 was 1 - 1 draw.  
• Confidence: 65%
12. MLB:  Boston Red Sox
• Boston leads the season series 2 - 1.  Lackey is 6 - 6 with a 2.80 ERA on the season.  Parker is also 6 - 6 but with a 4.04 ERA.  
• Confidence: 65%
13. MLB:  Seattle Mariners
• The Angels lead the season series 6 - 4, but the Mariners have won quite a lot when at home on SFTC.  Also, Saunders has had great success against the Angels hitters, with only a 1.93 ERA in two starts against them.  Jerome Williams is 0 - 2 with a 8.47 ERA over his last 4 starts, and hasn't made it past the 4th inning in his last two.
• Confidence: 60%
14. MLB:  San Diego Padres
• To say that the Giants have struggled lately is an understatement.  They got a much needed win yesterday, but I don't think it lasts.  The Padres are only slight favorites at -103.  I just don't trust the Giants at all.
• Confidence: 60% 

SFTC pick for Wednesday, July 10

Well if I only had more hours in the day I could do full writeups.  But hey, picks are better than nothing at all right?  So here we go.

Our top stash pick:

1. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds
2. MLB:  Boston Red Sox

Our picks for every prop:

1. Soccer:  Ururguay U20 win
2. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds
3. MLB:  New York Yankees
4. MLB:  Pittsburgh Pirates
5. MLB:  No run scored in the 1st inning
6. MLB:  Los Angeles Angels
7. Soccer: Chicago Fire Win or Draw
8. Soccer: No, neither team scores 2+ goals in the 1st half
9. Soccer: 69th minute or earlier
10. MLB:  Los Angeles Dodgers
11. MLB:  Boston Red Sox
12. MLB:  Colorado Rockies

SFTC Picks for Monday, July 8

We didn't have time for full write-ups again, but here are our picks for every prop.  These soccer matches have been crazy, and the 90+% pick has lost nearly every time!

Our top stash picks:

1. MLB:  Tampa Bay Rays

Our picks for every prop:

1. Soccer:  MyPa Win or Draw
2. Soccer:  Grotta Win, Draw, or Lose by 1
3. MLB:  Pittsburgh Pirates
4. MLB:  Baltimore Orioles
5. MLB:  New York Yankees
6. MLB:  Philadelphia Phillies
7. MLB:  Any Other Number
8. MLB:  Tampa Bay Rays
9. MLB:  No, Neither team has the bases loaded in innings 3 - 6
10. MLB:  Chicago Cubs
11. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds
12. Soccer:  Honduras Win
13. MLB:  Any Other Result
14. MLB:  Los Angeles Dodgers
15. MLB:  San Diego Padres
16. MLB:  Boston Red Sox
17. MLB:  New York Mets

SFTC Picks for Sunday, July 7

There won't be time to do full writeups.  Sorry.  There were some really tough losses yesterday.  Pretty much the entire leaderboad went down by the end of the day.  Tomorrow is a new day, so let's go!

Our top stash picks:

1. Other:  United States Win

Our picks for every prop:

1. Other:  Any Other Country
2. Other:  United States Win
3.  Tennis:  Novak Djokovic
4. Soccer:  South Korea U20
5. MLB:  New York Yankees
6. MLB:  Atlanta Braves
7. Soccer:  Ghana U20
8. MLB:  New York Mets
9. MLB:  Oakland A's
10. MLB:  Pittsburgh Pirates
11. WNBA:  Chicago Sky
12. Soccer:  Chicago Fire Win
13. Soccer: Canada Wins by 2+
14. Soccer: Mexico Win
15. MLB:  Boston Red Sox
16. MLB:  15 pitches or more
17. MLB:  Red Sox or Tie
18. MLB:  2 or more batters strike out in the 8th inning
19. Soccer: LA Galaxy Win

SFTC picks for Saturday, July 6

Well we had a pretty good day yesterday.  There were some decent greens and good props yesterday.  There are some good ones today as well.  We have all of the morning write-ups done and will finish the rest soon.  

Our top stash picks:

1. Tennis:  Sabine Lisicki
2. MLB:  Tampa Bay Rays

Our picks for every prop:

1. Other:  Any Other Cyclist
• To be honest, I don't know much about cycling, but I'll take my chances with any other cyclist. I doubt this will be over in time for the early morning tennis match, as this stage has a couple of really steep climbs and will prbably take 5 hours or more.
• Confidence: 50%
2. Tennis:  Sabine Lisicki
• What a crazy tournament this Wimbledon has been.  This is a first-time Wimbledon final for both Lisicki and Bartoli.  Bartoli has not lost a set all tournament, but has had a pretty easy route so far and has not had to play any of the top players.  Lisicki on the other hand has had some incredible upsets and come-from-behind wins.  She came back from being down by 3 games in the final set against both Serena Williams and Agnieska Radwanska.  She has only played Bartoli head-to-head 3 times in the last 4 years, but has won all of those battles, including a quarterfinal match at Wimbledon in 2011.  
• Confidence: 75%
3. MLB:  Baltimore Orioles
• Chris Tillman has been great for the Orioles this season.  He is 10 - 2 with a 3.68 ERA on the season.  He just pitched against the Yankees at home on June 30, a game the Orioles won 4 - 2.  Pettite hasn't been as strong, and is 5 - 6 with a 4.40 ERA on the season.  As I'm typing this, the Orioles lead the season series 6 - 3 and are up 2 - 1 in the 7th inning of their 10th meeting this season.  
• Confidence: 65%
4. Golf:  Daniel Summerhays or Tie
• Summerhays shot a 65 in round 1 and a 67 in round 2.  Every shot a 69 in round 1 and a 62 in round 2.  So after 2 rounds, Every is one shot ahead of Summerhays.  Since they're so close in the standings and they seem to be pretty even golfers, I'll take Summerhays with the tie option.
• Confidence: 50%
5. Soccer:  Spain U20 Win
• Spain has won every game of this World Cup.  Uruguay has won 3 and lost 1, but all of their games were against weaker competition.  These teams have only met twice, but they were so long ago that they are not relevant.  This prop is only for 90 min + inj.  The last two U20 soccer props featured were both sheep slaughters as the matches ended in draws in regular time, but I think Spain can take care of business in regular time.  
• Confidence: 70%
6. MLB:  Kansas City Royals
• As I'm typing this, it looks like I'll get my pick wrong from todays game by taking the Royals.  Hopefully they can win this one.  Ervin Santana is their scheduled starter, and he last faced Oakland on May 18, a game which the Royals lost 2 - 1.  The Royals are favored, but not by much.  Still, I'll roll with them today as I think Santana is a better pitcher than Parker.
• Confidence: 50%
7. MLB:  Pittsburgh Pirates
• We hope you got a win by taking the Pirates yesterday.  The same should happen today.  The Pirates send Charlie Morton to the mound, who is 1 - 1 with a 2.50 ERA  on the season.  He only went 2 innings in his last outings because the game was cut short due to a rain delay.  The Cubs send Edwin Jackson to the mound who is 4 - 10 with a 5.75 ERA on the season.  He pitched twice against the Pirates in his last 10 starts, winning one at home and losing one on the road.
• Confidence: 60%
8. WNBA:  Indiana Fever
• I personally would not pick on this game unless I had a losing streak or less than a win 3.  Both of these teams are at the bottom of the Eastern conference standings, mainly due to numerous injuries.  They have only met once this season, a game the Sun won by 12 at Indiana.  I'm only taking the Fever here because they have more players back from injury, are at home, and have won their last 2 game.  I wouldn't be surprised with either winning though.
• Confidence: 45%
9. WNBA:  Washington Mystics
• Wow, another tossup WNBA prop.  Again, I wouldn't pick this with anything higher than a win 3.  These teams have met once this season, a game that the Storm won by 10 at home.  The Storm are next to last in the league in scoring though.  I'm taking the Mystics at home to make their coach the current winingest coach in the WNBA.  But like I said, pick at your own risk.
• Confidence:  45%
10. MLB:  Tampa Bay Rays
• The Rays only lead the season series against the White Sox 3 - 2, but both teams and pitchers have been headed in opposite directions of late.  After going through a rough stretch, Moore has won his last 3 starts and the Rays have won 9 of their last 12 games.  Sale has been the opposite, going 0 - 5 with a 3.19 ERA in the month of June.  The White Sox have lost 25 of their last 35 games, including last night against the Rays.  The Rays aren't huge favorites (-134), but with Moore on the mound and home field advantage, they should win this game.
• Confidence: 70%
11. MLB:  Milwaukee Brewers
• The Brewers and Mets met for the first time this season last night and the Mets won handily, as we predicted.  I'm actually going with the Brewers in this game though.  They send Yovani Gallardo to the mound this time who is 6 - 8 with a 4.78 ERA on the season, but he is so much better than the starting pitcher last night.  The Mets on the other hand send Shaun Marcum to the mound who is just 1 - 9 with a 5.03 ERA on the season.  The pitching matchup definitely goes to the Brewers, and the only reason they should lose the game is if they can't get the run support.
• Confidence: 50%
12. MLB:  Philadelphia Phillies
• The Phillies even up the season series with a win yesterday.  The winning streak should continue for the Phillies today.  Hudson was slated to start for the Braves yesterday but was held back a day due to a strained neck.  He's now had 6 days of rest, but that didn't work out well for him last time it happened.  Hudson hasn't gotten a win in his past 10 starts, and I don't see the pattern changing today.  Kendrick is 7 - 5 with a 3.59 ERA on the season and is 1 - 1 with a 2.91 ERA in 19 games (13 starts) against the Braves.
• Confidence: 60%
13. MLB:  Los Angeles Dodgers
• The Giants will end their losing streak sometime, I'm just not sure when, and I don't think it will come against the Dodgers.  They were just destroyed by the Dodgers, losing 10 - 2.  Matt Kemp will most likely be out this game, but that shouldn't matter much.  Bumgarner has been good for the Giants, but he did lose his last start against the Dodgers.  Fife has done well and won his last start against the Giants.  
• Confidence: 65%
14. Soccer:  New England Revolution Win
• New England is 6th in their conference table with 5 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses and a GD of +5.  San Jose is 8th in their conference table with 5 wins, 6 draws and 8 losses, But a GD of -10.  These teams have not played this year and only played once last season, a 1 - 0 win for San Jose at home.
• Confidence: 50%
15. LAX:  Boston Cannons
• These teams have identical records as both are at 5 - 4 this season.  They have played once this season, a 15 - 13 win for Boston on the road on June 15.  This time Boston is at home so hopefully they will get the win again.
• Confidence: 55%
16. Soccer:  Philadelphia Union Win or Draw
• Philadelphia is in the table with 7 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses and a GD of +1.  Houston is just one spot below them with 6 wins, 5 draws, and 6 losses and a GD of +1.  The game is at Houston, but the team are pretty much even in terms of record and standing, so I think the draw is a very likely outcome.
• Confidence: 50%
17. MLB:  Boston Red Sox
• The line slightly favors the Angels, but their starting pitcher, Jerome Williams, is coming off of just 3 days rest and a horrible start his last time out as he failed to make it through 2 innings, giving up 7 runs.
• Confidence: 65%
18. Soccer:  Seattle Sounders Win or Draw
• The Sounders have 3 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses on the road this season.  The Whitecaps do have 7 wins on the season, but I just don't see them beating the Sounders, who beat them 3 - 2 at home about a month ago.
• Confidence: 60%
19. Other:  Any Other Result
• I really don't know about this one.  I just picked something.
• Confidence: 30%
20. Other:  Anderson Silva wins before the start of the 4th round
• Again, I'm not a MMA expert, so pick at your own risk.
• Confidence: 50%

SFTC Picks for Friday, July 5

First of all, we hope you all had a great 4th of July yesterday!  It has to be one of the best holidays!  There were some great sporting events and results yesterday as well.  The best had to be the 2 PKs for LA Galaxy in the last 10 minutes to beat Columbus Crew.  And of course the hot dog eating contest is always a classic. 

Again, we ask you to please share the site with your friends and help us increase our following.  

Our top stash picks:

1. MLB:  Philadelphia Phillies
2. Soccer:  USA wins by 2+ goals

Our picks for every prop:

1. Golf:  67 or more
• Simpson shot a 64 yesterday, and historically has done well on this course.  The course has been playing pretty easy.  The reason to take the over in my opinion is that the weather is supposed to turn bad and this will most likely affect this round.
• Confidence: 60%
2. Tennis:  Andy Murray wins in 3 or 5 sets
• There's not much history between these two, so there's not much to go off of head-to-head.  They have played only once in the last 4 years, a match which Janowicz won 2 - 1 in Paris (hard court).  Both of these guys have won most of their matches in this tournament in straight sets.  I think the 3 set win for Murray is the most likely option for the 3 or 5 sets to win.  4 sets would be the most likely scenario for the Any Other Result option to win.  I really don't think there will be a retirement or that Murray will lose outright.
• Confidence: 60%
3. Soccer:  Derry City Win
• Derry City is 2nd in the league table with 39 points and a GD of +19.  Dundalk is 4th in the league table with 32 points and a GD of +6.  In head-to-head meetings in the last two years, Derry City has won 4 (including the last two), drawn 2, and lost 2.  Derry City is favored and is at home for this match, so I'll take them to win.
• Confidence: 65%
4. MLB:  Pittsburgh Pirates
• The Pirates lead the season series 6 - 3, and have won 5 of the last 6 games at Wrigley Field.  Francisco Liriano is 7 - 3 with a 2.23 ERA on the season, has held teams to 1 run or less in 7 of his last 10 starts, and has only given up 2 hits in each of his last two starts against the Cubs.  Jeff Samardzija is 5 - 7 with a 3.34 ERA on the season, and has lost both of his starts against the Cubs this season, receiving only 1 run of support in those two starts.  The Pirates are the favorites at -137.
• Confidence: 70%
5. MLB:  Philadelphia Phillies
• Cliff Lee has been great for the Phillies.  He is 7 - 0 in his last 11 outings, and hasn't lost since May 1.  The Phillies are only 1 - 2 against the Braves this season, but Tim Hudson has been struggling on the road.  He is 1 - 7 with a 5.71 ERA in 9 road starts, and has lost each of his last 8 away from home.
• Confidence: 70%
6. MLB:  Baltimore Orioles
• The Orioles have won 6 of the 9 meetings against the Yankees this season.  Only 3 of them have been in New York though, and the Yankees won 2 of those 3.  The main reason I'm taking the Orioles in this one is that Nova has not started since April, so he will likely be rusty.  The Orioles are only slight favorites at -109, but they definitely have the better offense and the better pitcher in Miguel Gonzalez.
• Confidence: 65%
7. MLB: Yes Either team leads at the end of the 2nd inning
• This is an interesting prop and here's why.  The Yankees and Orioles have met 9 times this season, 3 times in New York and 6 times in Baltimore.  In each of the 6 meetings in Baltimore, one team was leading at the end of the second inning.  But, in each of the 3 meetings in New York, the teams were tied at the end of the 2nd inning.  This game is in New York, so will the tie option win?  I think not, and predict that the Orioles will be leading since Nova is pitching and he hasn't started since April.
• Confidence: 55%
8. MLB:  Yes, 1+ hits recorded in both the 4th and 5th innings
• Wow, another interesting in-game baseball prop.  This is really a toss-up prop, as really anything can happen in baseball.  In the 9 games these teams have played each other this season, at least 1 hit has been recorded in both the 4th and 5th innings in 4 of the 9 games.  I'm guessing yes on this one mostly since Nova is pitching and because the Orioles have been hitting so well.  
• Confidence: 45%
9. MLB:  Kansas City Royals
• I'm not super confident about this one.  The Royals have been great offensively lately, but have lost all 3 games against the A's this season.  All of those games were on the road though, and were played back in mid-May.  Davis had a horrible start his last game, but had gone 1 - 0 with a 2.29 ERA over his last 4 starts.  
• Confidence: 45%
10. MLB:  New York Mets
• The Mets begin a 9-game road trip, but have an excellent chance to start it out with a win tonight.  They face one of the worst teams in baseball, and Milwaukee's starting pitcher made his major league debut last Friday and is 0 - 1 with an enormous 20.25 ERA on the season.  Wheeler hasn't been extraordinary, and he'll need to have a long outing tonight as the Mets bullpen is tired and overworked.  He should be able to do this against the Brewers though, who are still without Braun and Hart.
• Confidence: 60%
11. Other:  Calgary Stampeders
• The Stampeders won the pre-season game on June 20 on the road.  They have won 14 of the last 22 dating back to 2008, including 9 of the last 10.  The Roughriders are favored by 2 points, but given the history, I'm giving the edge to Calgary.
• Confidence: 50%
12. MLB:  Los Angeles Angels
• The Angels are riding some good momentum into this game, winning 8 of their last nine.  Boston leads the season series 2 - 1, but those games were home games for them and the the Angels are favorites at -134.  Wilson has also won his last 4 starts, and Doubront has not received a decision in his last 4 starts.
• Confidence: 60%
13. MLB:  Los Angeles Dodgers
• The Giants lead the season series 5 - 4 and Cain is 5 - 0 with a 1.93 ERA in his last 11 over the Dodgers, but the Dodgers have a much different lineup now.  They will likely get Carl Crawford back for this game, and have all of their stars in the lineup like Puig, Kemp, Ethier, and Gonzalez.  The Giants have not been able to score runs lately, and have lost 9 of their last 10 games, including a series sweep by the Dodgers.
• Confidence: 70%
14. Soccer:  USA wins by 2+ goals
• The USA has won 2 of the last three against Guatemala by 2+, both home matches.  Guatemala is not good.  They have lost 6 of their last 10 matches (have drawn the other 4), each of them by 2+ goals.
• Confidence: 75%

SFTC picks for Wednesday, July 3

Well we don't have every pick done yet, but here's what we have so far.  Good luck!

Our top stash picks:

1. Tennis:  David Ferrer
2. Soccer:  Columbia Win
3. MLB:  New York Mets

Our picks for every prop:

1. Other:  Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel, or Peter Sagan
• I think the Any Other Cyclist option finally loses.  
• Confidence: 60%
2. Tennis:  David Ferrer
• Del Potro has not beaten Ferrer since 2009.  These two met at Wimbeldon last year, with Ferrer winning 3 - 0.  Ferrer is on a tear through this tournament and is playing very good tennis right now.  
• Confidence: 80%
3. Soccer:  Ghana win or draw
• I know most people are on Portugal and their star player, but I don't think Portugal is that sure of a pick.  This prop is just for 90min + injury, but if necessary, the game will be decided with extra time or penalty kicks.  Ghana was beaten by France and Spain in this tournament, but had a big win (4 - 1) over the US in their last game.  I think Ghana will be tougher than most people think.
• Confidence: 50%
4. Tennis:  Andy Murray wins 3 - 0
• According to Flashscore.com, the only meetings between these two were in 2009.  They met 4 times, with Murray winning 3 and Verdasco 1, but only one match was won in straight sets.  I don't think those meetings have too much relevance to this match though because they were so long ago.  Murray is on a tear through this year's Wimbledon, playing 4 matches and winning them all 3 - 0.  The trend should continue today.
• Confidence: 75%
5. Soccer:  Columbia Win
• The Columbia and South Korea U20 teams have met twice, once in May of this year and once in the World Cup in 2011.  Columbia won both meetings 1 - 0.  In this World Cup, Columbia has won 2 and drawn once, while South Korea has won 1, drawn one, and lost one.  Columbia is definitely the better team, and should get the win here.
• Confidence: 75%
6. MLB:  New York Mets
• The Mets have won the previous two games of this series.  Matt Harvey has been a star for them, and is 7 - 1 with a 2.00 ERA on the season.  They are big favorites at -184.  I just don't see the Diamondbacks winning this game.  They've been struggling lately, and Delgado, at 0 - 2 with a 4.05 ERA on the season, is not the pitcher to bring them success.
• Confidence: 80%
7. MLB:  Yes Harvey records at least 1 K in each of the first 3 innings
• Harvey has recorded multiple double digit strikeout games recently, and the Diamondbacks are in a real hitting slump right now.  Harvey should get at least 1K in each inning, if not more.
• Confidence: 60%

SFTC Picks for Tuesday, July 2

We're very late getting picks up, but here's what we have so far.  We'll post more later.

Our top stash picks:

1. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds

Our picks for every prop:

1. Tennis:  Li Na
2. Other:  Any Other Team
3. Soccer:  Spain Win
4. Soccer:  Lusitanos Win or Draw
5. Soccer:  France
6. MLB:  Detroit Tigers
• The Tigers continued to struggle last night.  I'm taking a chance with them again, as they won't stay down forever.  Maybe facing a pitcher they haven't seen in over 6 years (Chen) will help them out.   Chen is just 1 - 1 with a 5.24 ERA on the season.  Fister is 6 - 5 with a 3.50 ERA on the season.  The Tigers are favored at -140.  
• Confidence: 60%
7. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds
• Well, the Giants continued their struggles last night, losing 8 - 1 in a rain-shortened game.  Lincecum has been very inconsistent this season, and not very good of late, going 1 - 6 with a 5.24 ERA over his last 8, including 0 - 5 with a 5.92 ERA over his last seven road starts.  Bailey hasn't been spectacular of late, going 0 - 2 with a 5.68 ERA over his last 3, but the Reds are definitely better than the Giants right now.  The Giants just don't have any offense.
• Confidence: 80%
8. MLB:  Texas Rangers
• To say the Rangers struggled in June would be an understatement.  They started the month 3 games up in the AL West and are now 3 games back from first place.  Grimm didn't have a great June, but he's won his last two against the Mariners.  Saunders has a 9.00 ERA while losing all 7 road starts against the Rangers this season.  The Rangers are -154 favorites.
• Confidence: 60%
9. WNBA:  Sky win by double digits
• The Sky are off to a great start at home.  They are 5 - 0 at home and have only won 1 of them by single digits.  The Storm are really struggling, and are among the league worst in several categories.  Sylvia Fowles will most likely be out, but Delle Donne and Prince are more than capable of carrying the load.  
• Confidence: 75%
10. WNBA:  20 points or more
• Elena Delle Donne and Epiphany Prince average 19.5 and 18.7 points per game respectively.  That comes out to an average of 19.1 points per half.  With Fowles most likely out though, expect Delle Donne and Prince to carry the load and get the over.
• Confidence: 60%

We're back with SFTC picks for July 1.

Well everyone, after a long absence, we're back!  We hope you had a great month in June.  We personally got to a win 15 last month.  Of course its cliche, but we plan on winning the stash in July!  It will be tough, because there are not many sports besides baseball, but hopefully we can do.  And hopefully we can help you in the process!  

We can really use your help to get the word out again.  As I stated earlier, school is keeping me busy and requiring a lot of time, and it's important that I focus enough there so that I can finish well.  I will try my very best to post every day, but at least you'll know the reason why if I'm not able to post.

So let's get to the important stuff: sports!  What a crazy NBA draft that was and a great Confederations cup!  June had some great props and awesome sports stories and events.  Hopefully July brings more of the same!

Our top stash picks:

1. Tennis:  Serena Williams
2. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds

Our picks for every prop:

1. Other:  Any Other Cyclist
• I'll be honest, I don't know much about cycling, but from the research I've done, there are a lot of cyclists that are very capable of winning this stage.  The any other cylist option has won every time this year, although that's not saying too much since there have only been two props so far.  I'll just take my chances with large number of cyclists over one.
• Confidence: 65%
2. Tennis:  Serena Williams
• I can't think of a single reason to even consider not taking Serena in this match.  According to flashscore.com, these two have only met twice, with Serena winning the first meeting in straight sets and the second at 4 games to 1 in the first set because Lisicki retired.  This is basically a free green, so why would you not take it?
• Confidence:  100%
3. Tennis:  Any Other Result
• This one's a little bit tough, because I think both options could win.  Djokovic has won every match of this year's Wimbeldon in straight sets.  Haas has been playing very well lately as well.  Djokovic owns the head-to-head record at 6 - 3.  Haas did beat him at Wimbeldon in 2009 and in straight sets in Miami (though that was hardcourt).  Overall, I just think any other result has the better chance of winning this one, and the first set will be Haas best chance of winning a set.
• Confidence: 60%
4. Tennis:  Yes 1+ breaks of serve in the first set
• This prop is also a little tough, and I don't think the yes option is as much of a lock as everyone says it is.  It is important to note that a tiebreak does not count toward this prop!!  The last time a similar prop was featured was for the first four games of the first set between Djokovic and Reynolds a few days ago.  Nearly everyone picked yes, and there were no breaks of serve in those 4 games.  In fact there were none in the entire first set.  Will the same thing happen in this match? Who knows, but I hope so.
• Confidence: 50%
5. MLB:  Detroit Tigers
• The Tigers have been struggling lately, plain and simple.  They've gone 1 - 5 in their last 6, including going 5 for 42 with runners in scoring position over their last 5.  The Blue Jays are favored, but are without Cabrera and Lawrie.  I think the Tigers will get out of their funk today, and I just don't trust Dickey because he's been very inconsistent this year.  
• Confidence: 65%
6. Tennis:  3 or 4 games
• Right now I think this is the best option.  My pick may change after watching the first two sets though, so be sure to come back and check for updates.
• Confidence: 55%
7. Soccer: Sligo Win
• These teams have played 7 times.  They have drawn 4, including the latest match, and Sligo has won the other 3.  Sligo is defintely favored in this match, and has had the better form of late.  I'm not super confident about this one though.
• Confidence: 50%
8. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds
• Let's face it, the Giants have been awful lately.  They finally got a win last night, but have only won 4 of their last 15 games.  The Reds have struggled a bit on the road as well, but are back at home now are clear favorites at -170.  They send Arroyo to the mound who is 6 - 6 with a 3.61 ERA on the season, and is 4 - 2 with a 1.72 ERA over his last 9 starts against the Giants.   The Giants counter with the rookie Mike Kickham, who is just 0 - 2 with a whopping 10.57 ERA.  
• Confidence: 80%
9. MLB:  No, neither gets a hit in their first at-bat
• Honestly, this is a toss-up prop.  I think Votto definitely has the better chance to get a hit, given Arroyo's histroy against the Giants and Kickham's numbers.  Votto does walk a good amount of the time though, so I'll take my chance with neither getting a hit.
• Confidence: 50%
10. MLB:  Miami Marlins
• The Marlins have really started to turn their season around.  After a miserable first two months of the season, they have won 7 of their last 9 and went 15 - 10 in June.  Their rookie Jose Fernandez has been a big part of the success.  He went 2 - 1 with a 1.67 ERA in five starts in June, and is 2 - 0 with a 1.76 ERA over his last seven starts at home, limiting batters to a .189 batting average.  Miami is favored at -128, and I like them to keep their winning streak going. 
• Confidence: 70%
11. MLB:  No, no home runs during innings 3 - 5
• As of now I'm going with no.  Yes, the Great American Ballpark is in the top 5 for most home runs hit, but I'm just not feeling it with these teams.  If one is hit, I would expect it to be hit by the Reds, not the Giants.  I may change my mind after the first two innings though.  
• Confidence: 45%
12. MLB:  Tampa Bay Rays
• Matt Moore has a very good record, but his control has definitely been lacking at times.  He's among the worst in the AL for walks, but they've been able to overcome that, and I don't think Houston will present too much of a problem.  The Rays are the favorites at -168.  
• Confidence: 70%
13. MLB:  New York Yankees
• The Yankees really struggled at the end of June, but they won't stay down forever.  Pettite has lost his last three starts, but has won his previous 10 starts against the Twins.  He is 5 - 6 with a 4.22 ERA on the season.  The Twins counter with Scott Diamond who is 5 - 7 with a 5.40 ERA on the season, but he is 2 - 5 with a 6.21 ERA at home this season, and last month was definitely his worst of the year.  I wouldn't be surprised to see the Twins won, but I trust Pettite more.
• Confidence: 60%
14. MLB:  2 runs or more
• I'm feeling the over right now, but definitely come back or pay attention to our tweets for updates.  
• Confidence: 50%

News for lack of posts

Just want to let everyone know that due to my deciding to take classes this summer, and a hectic work schedule, I have been absent from making picks for a while.  I will try my best to post my picks for the remaining days in June, but will definitely do what I can to post every day in July.

I did get up to a Win 15 this month, which was awesome.  Having this blog has really helped me get a feel for the game.  I wish you the best of luck with your picks the remainder of this month!  Again, I'll try my best to post again soon.

SFTC Picks for Thursday, June 13

We send our apologies for the lack of picks yesterday.  Although, maybe it's a good thing we didn't make picks because yesterday was truly awful.  Pretty much everyone atop the leaderboard lost, and the higher percentage on nearly every prop lost!  

If you haven't heard, in all likelihood the golf props tomorrow will be pushed or cancelled due to almost guaranteed rain.  So don't plan your day around the golf props.  Anyway, here we go!

Our top stash picks:

1. MLB:  Tampa Bay Rays
2. NBA:  4 or more

Our picks for every prop:

1. Golf:  Keegan Bradley or tie
• It's interesting that this prop is for holes 11 - 1.  It shouldn't make much difference, I mean it's still 9 holes.  It's reported that Mickleson will not arrive until early tomorrow morning and so will not have much preparation time, and unless he sleeps well on the plane, will most likely be tired.  The tie option wins a good amount of the time, and I think that these two are similar enough in talent that I'll take the tie option.
• Confidence: 70%
2. Soccer:  FC Honka Win or Draw
• FC Honka is 3rd in the league table with 6 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses, and a GD of +2.  Turku PS is 5th in the league table with 5 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses, and a GD of 0.  Turku did just beat Honka at home 2 - 0 back in April, but Honka has been in excellent form recently, winning their last 5 league matches.  Honka is also higher in the standings and has a better GD, so I'll take the draw option in this one.
• Confidence:  65%
3. Golf:  9 strokes or more
• For a description of this hole (hole 18) click here.  This is one of the toughest on the course, at 521 yards, and neither Mahan nor Watney are exactly birdie specialists.  I expect one of them to bogey.
• Confidence: 60%
4. Golf:  Yes Tiger gets at least 1 birdie on holes 1 - 4
• The best birdie opportunities are holes 1 and 2.  If he doesn't birdie one of these two, I think the prop is pretty much over.  Tiger didn't have a great showing in his last tournament, but I think he'll bounce back and I'll take the chance that he can net at least one birdie. 
• Confidence: 50%
5. Golf:  Any Other Score
• For a description of this hole, click here.  After reading the description, I'm inclined to think Van Pelt will bogey this hole.  I highly doubt a birdie will green the Any Other Score option, so this is basically a 4 vs 5+ prop.  Van Pelt hasn't been that impressive of late, so I'll take the 5+.
• Confidence: 50%
6. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds
• The Cubs have lost 8 of their last 10, and the Reds have won 19 of 22 against the Cubs, including the last 3 of this series.  They should continue their success against the Cubs and get the series sweep, especially with Matt Latos on the mound.  Latos is 6 - 0 with a 2.87 ERA while Samardizja is 3 - 7 with a 3.18 ERA.  The Reds are the favorite at -125 and lead the season series 10 - 2.
• Confidence: 70%
7. MLB:  Washington Nationals
• There is not much history between these teams this season as this is the first series between them this year.  The series is tied, as the Rockies won the first, and the Nationals won the second yesterday.  The Nationals send Detwiler to the mound who is 2 - 4 with a 2.76 ERA on the season.  The Rockies counter with Francis who is also 2 - 4 but with a 6.30 ERA on the season.  I'm not super confident about it, but I'm taking the Nationals here based on pitching.
• Confidence: 50%
8. MLB:  San Francisco Giants
• Although the Giants lost the first two games of this series, I'm going with the Giants today based on the pitching matchup.  Matt Cain has been pretty solid this year.  He is 4 - 3 with a 5.09 ERA on the season.  On the other side, Charlie Morton will make his season debut for the Pirates today.  The edge goes to Cain in this matchup, and I don't think the Giants will get swept.  The line is only Giants -108 though, so I wouldn't pick this game with a high streak.
• Confidence: 60%
9. MLB:  Tampa Bay Rays
• Here's an interesting stat for this game:  the home team has won 13 of the last 15 meetings.  Although on paper Hellickson looks worse than Santana, don't let it fool you.  Hellickson hasn't lost since April 25, and he averages 6.86 runs of support.  Santana on the other hand only averages 3.2 runs of support, has an ERA of 6.86 at Tropicana Field, and is just 2 - 5 in his last nine starts there.  The Rays are -141 favorites.
• Confidence: 75%
10. NBA:  San Antonio Spurs
• We took a chance on the Heat in their last game and boy were we wrong.  The Heat were taken behind the woodshed on Tuesday!  The game was already decided after the third quarter, and the Heat played as if they didn't care and didn't want to be there.  I mean they didn't even make a decent effort to defend the 3 point line after the Spurs made so many of them.  They were just embarrassed, plain and simple.  Although I don't think they lose by close to 40 points again tonight, I highly doubt they will win.  And as much as LeBron says he won't let it happen, it's not really up to him.  He's not the kind of player that can win games all by himself.  Anyway, to make a long story short, the Spurs are favored in this game, and should win again to increase their series lead to 3 - 1.  
• Confidence:  70%
11. NBA: Spurs 3 pointers made
• LeBron hasn't been scoring that much in the first halves of these finals games.  He only had 4 points in the first half on Tuesday.  The Spurs will probably make at least 6 3-pointers in the first half, and I just don't see LeBron making that many field goals in the first half.
• Confidence:  60%
12. NBA:  Yes at least one team makes their first FGA of the 2nd half
• Wow, talk about a tossup prop.  There is really no amount of research that can decide this one.  You might get a better sense of it by watching the first half, but even then, it really could go either way.  I'm just feeling the yes option.
• Confidence:  45%
13. NBA:  4 or more
• In game 1 there was 1 3-pointer made in the 4th quarter.  In game 2 there were 5 made in the 4th.  In game 3 there were 7 made in the 4th.  The total has increased every game.  While I don't think the Spurs will have as great of a shooting night as they did on Tuesday, between these two teams, they should be able to make 4 or more 3s pretty easily.  
• Confidence: 75%

SFTC Picks for Tuesday, June 11

Our top stash picks:

1. MLB:  St. Louis Cardinals

Our picks for every prop:

1. Soccer:  Japan Win
• Japan vs Iraq.  Historically two of America's biggest rivals.  Japan during WWII and Iraq well, since before I was born until now.  Good thing this is a soccer match and also a good thing that Japan is now America's buddy. So for that reason, I have to pick Japan.  Well, Japan is also ranked 32 in the world while Iraq is ranked 98.  So I think Japan should have the advantage, plus, they have Kagawa and Honda, who does Iraq have? 
• Confidence:  75%
2. Other:  North Carolina
3. Soccer:  Belarus Win
• Finland and Belarus. Neither team is a contender to win the world cup and both would be thrilled to qualify  but both are long shots.  Neither is ranked in the top 50 in the world, but Belarus is the better team and I expect them to win.  Now, 50 bucks to anyone who can point out Belarus on a map... anyone... anyone... yeah, I didn't think so.  
• Confidence:  50%
4. Soccer:  Armenia: Win, draw, lose by 1
• Denmark is currently ranked #20 in the world but did not do much to impress me at last summer's Euro Cup.  But the Danes should beat Armenia today, the only question is by how much.  I am not very confident on this pick because I don't know much about either team, but I just don't see Denmark dominating and winnin by 2+ goals. 
• Confidence:  50%
5. Soccer:  Ecuador Win or Draw
• This pick is 100% subject to change depending on whether or not Lionel Messi is in the starting lineup.  Messi came on in the last match around the 60th minute and made an immediate impact. Argentina should have won the game if it was not for an offsides call that was incorrect and disallowed the go ahead goal for the albiceleste.  Because of a red card in the last match, Gonzalo Higuain will not be able to play today, so if Messi and Higuain are not in the starting lineup it will be much harder for Argentina to take down a very very good team from Ecuador on their pitch.  They will have to send out some sort of lineup including Di Maria, Lavezzi, Aguero, Pastore, and whoever else Alejandro Sabella decides to put on the field tonight.  Now those players are all great and if they are playing well, can beat anyone in the world, but I think Argentina needs Messi today.  So wait to make your pick until the starting 11 is announced.  
• Confidence:  50%
6. MLB:  San Francisco Giants
7. MLB:  Los Angeles Angels
8. MLB:  Miami Marlins
9. MLB:  St. Louis Cardinals
10. MLB:  Boston Red Sox
11. Soccer: Costa Rica: Win, Draw, Lose by 1
• Mexico has not been impressive against their competition in the hex.  The barely beat Jamaica 1-0 and the drew with Panama.   They have not been able to score and well, soccer is simple, if you don't score, you can't win.  So with this prop I say, if you can't score, there ain't no way you win by 2+ goals.  So I think El Tri will win the match today, but not by 2 goals, and maybe not by any.  
• Confidence:  60%
12. MLB:  Cincinnati Reds
13. MLB:  Detroit Tigers
14. MLB:  Chicago White Sox
15. MLB:  Minnesota Twins
16. MLB:  Colorado Rockies
17. NBA: Miami Heat
• I am still confused about this series and I have not the slightest clue as to who has the upper hand.  But I pick the Heat based on one stat.  Of the 8 quarters that have been played, Miami has won 7 of them.  The Spurs won the 4th quarter of game 1 and were able to beat a team that looked like the better team the entire night.  And after seeing what the Heat did against the Spurs in game 2, even though tonight's game is in San Antonio, I have to pick the Heat.
• Confidence:  50%
18. NBA: Spurs: More 3PM in first half
• This is a toss up and I don't really don't have a stat to tell you why I am picking the Spurs.  Both teams average about seven 3's a game.  In game 2 both teams made ten 3's while in game 1 the Spurs made 7 and the Heat made 8.  The Spurs can get 3's from Green, Neal, Leonard, Parker, Bonner and other depending on who Pop puts on the floor.  The Heat can get triples from Chalmers, Miller, Bosh, Batier, Allen, James, also, just depends on who is out on the floor.  So I don't really have the answer for you. But my guts tells me to pick the Spurs, so maybe you should just listen to your gut.
• Confidence:  50%
19. MLB:  Oakland A's
20. Soccer: Panama: Win, Draw, or lose by 1 
• I realize that after the US beat Germany last week, many people were ready to give the US the 2014 World Cup trophy.  I think most people were expecting it to be Fed Ex'd to the States and a parade to soon follow.  But once the Von Trapps got back into the hex, they looked more like I expected them to look, kinda blah.  There is nothing about the USMNT that makes me think they can beat anyone.  I want nothing more than to see my country do well in my favorite sport, but I simply don't see the potential.  Yes they beat Germany's "B" team, yes they beat Jamaica in stoppage time (which was actually very thrilling), but do I think they can beat Panama by 2+ goals, no I do not.  
• Confidence:  60%
21. MLB:  Atlanta Braves
22. MLB:  Los Angeles Dodgers
23. NBA: 93 Points or Fewer 
• I'm not gonna say much about this prop.  Watch the first half and then decide for yourself.  I can't make a prediction before seeing how the two teams look in the first half.  We may tweet about this prop later, so keep your eyes on the twitter account.  
• Confidence: 50%