Streak for the Cash picks 4/5

Wow, what a crazy day it was yesterday!  We had a leader board crash with the Tigers, the Nets blowing a 16 point lead in the 4th, the Pirates having the tying run on 3rd with 0 outs in the bottom of the 9th and losing, and the Islanders losing in a shootout.  It's what makes sports so intriguing and captivating though.  Sometimes you just never know what's going to happen!  

As always, we thank everyone for your support!  We always invite you to follow us on twitter (@TheFantasySC), join our groups, vote on the poll question, and leave comments.  

Our Beat the Streak picks are available on the Baseball Games page (click the tab above).  If you don't know what Beat the Streak is, click the link above to find out :)

We will post the soccer and NBA write-ups soon.  The props marked with a * are also featured on Streak It Up, a game similar to Streak for the Cash, which can be found at www.streakitup.com

Our top "stash" picks:

1. MLB:  San Francisco Giants
2. NCAAM:  George Mason Patriots
3. MLB:  Chicago White Sox

Our picks for all props:

1. Golf:  Jim Furyk
• Ok, let's face it, the tie option has not won on these early morning 9 hole props in a long time.  I've gotten red after red picking the tie option with the "better" golfer.  I'm finally taking the non-tie option this time, and if I lose, I swear I'm never picking golf again.  For a little research, Furyk shot a -1 on these holes last round while Schwartzel shot a +1.  Previous round don't usually mean much for subsequent rounds though.  Pick at your own risk.
• Confidence:  50%
2. Soccer:  United States Win
• Less than a month ago the US Women's National Team beat Germany 2-0.  There is nothing to make me believe that the women, who are the best in the world, will not win again today.
• Confidence:  70%
3. Tennis:  8 or 9 games
• Serena, the top woman tennis player in the world, is set to take on the qualifier Mallory Burdette. Burdette has had some good results the last couple of weeks and even upset Sabine Lisicki in the last round. That will not be the case in this round as Serena is in good form and Burdette will be happy to win even a few games in the opening set as Serena adjusts to playing someone she never has.
• Confidence: 75%
4. Golf:  Padraig Harrington
• Padraig shot a -4 in round 1, while Woodland shot a -1.  Often subsequent rounds are very different from previous rounds in terms of scoring, but I think in this matchup, Harrington is the better golfer and should again beat Woodland.  
• Confidence:  50%
5. MLB:  Texas Rangers
• Through the first 3 games of the season, the Rangers' pitchers have recorded 43 strikeouts, which is the most by any team since 1900!  Texas is also the first team since 1920 to record 15+ strikeouts and allow 0 runs in consecutive games.  Needless to says, the pitching of the Rangers has been phenomenal. The Angles clearly have more talented hitters than the Astros, and Derek Holland may struggle a bit against them, but I think they still come out on top.  Holland was 12 - 7 with a 4.67ERA last season.  He was 2 - 2 with a 7.00ERA against the Angels last season.  I think Josh Hamilton's return to Texas may be a distraction for the Angels' team.  Taking all into account, I like the Rangers to take this one at home.  Something to be aware of with the Rangers is that they usually start off the season really hot, especially on SFTC, but then falter about mid-way through.
• Confidence: 70%
6. Soccer:  Marseille Win
• Marseille is currently in second place in the French Ligue 1 and is in a battle with PSG to win the Ligue title.  Bordeaux on the other hand is over 10 points back of Marsielle and finds it self directly in the middle of the table.  Bordeaux won the first meeting this year, but that was all the way back in November and Marseille is playing on their home pitch, they should get the victory today.
• Confidence:  70%
7. MLB:  Philadelphia Phillies
• The opening line on this game is Phillies -130.  The Phillies beat the Braves 2 - 0 today, after losing the first 2.  The Phillies will have Kyle Kendrick on the mound, who was 11 - 12 with a 3.90ERA last season.  The Royals will counter with Wade Davis who they acquired from Tampa Bay who in his time with the Royals last season went 3 - 0 with a 2.43ERA.  Although Davis has solid numbers, I like the Phillies to get a win in their first home game this season.
• Confidence: 60%
8. MLB:  San Francisco Giants
• Who can forget Zito's incredible postseason last year?  He beat the Cardinals in St. Louis to send the series back to San Francsico where they won to get to the World Series.  Then he beat Verlander in game 1 of the World Series which the Giants went on to win in 4 games.  Needless to say, he was on fire to end the season last year.  They will have celebrations before the game for their World Series win and Buster Posey's MVP.  I think these festivities will give them even extra motivation, and they will win their home opener.
• Confidence: 70%
9. NHL:  Ottawa Senators
• The Senators have won all 3 games against the Sabres this season.  They should have their superstar goalie, Craig Anderson, back in net for this game, and are really looking forward to see how their newly acquired forward, Cory Conacher will do.  They recently acquired him from Tampa Bay.  He has 24 points this season, which is 2nd most of any rookie, and two more than anyone else on Ottawa's roster.
• Confidence:  70%
10. NCAAM:  George Mason Patriots
• The line is George Mason -2.  These two last played two days ago (April 3), which game George Mason won by 6 at home.  This is game 3 of the best-of-3 tournament finals series.  George Mason has the edge here since the game is at home for them, and in a tournament finals game like this, home crowd is huge.
• Confidence: 80%
11. MLB:  Washington Nationals
• Bryce Harper and the Nationals are on fire.  Granted they had their opening series against the Marlins, but still, Harper's 12-game hitting streak is impressive.  He has never faced the Reds' pitcher Homer Bailey, and Bailey has never beaten the Nationals, going 0 - 2 with a 9.00ERA against them.  The Nationals will counter with Dan Haren, whom they acquired from the Angels.  Haren has a 2.94ERA in the month of April, and is 2 - 2 with a 4.41ERA against the Reds.  The line is currently Cincinnati -130, but I like the Nationals to take this one.  They have the better pitcher and the star slugger Bryce Harper.
• Confidence: 70%
12. NBA:  Oklahoma City Thunder
• After how impressive OKC looked last night against the Spurs, I have a hard time picking any team, especially in the East, over OKC right now.  They are in a battle for the top spot out West and need every win they can get to hold off the Spurs.  The Thunder are playing the second night of a back-to-back, but I don't see it hurting the young legs of the Thunder.
• Confidence:  60%
13. NHL:  St. Louis Blues
• Both of these teams have done well in their last couple of games.  The Blue Jackets beat the Ducks and the Predators.  The Blue beat both the Wild and the Blackhawks on the road.  They are at home for this game, and I like them to get the win for their home fans.
• Confidence:  60%
14. NBA:  Bobcats 3 Pointers made or tie
• This is probably a huge upset for me to pick, but here is why I have to go for the Bobcats.  First off, the Heat are playing without LeBron, Wade, Chalmers, Battier, and pretty much anyone else who wants to take a night off.  The Bobcats are not very good, but even without their stars, a win against the Heat could make their awful season a little bit less miserable.  The Bobcats make about six 3's a game and since I think it will be a close game, I can't pick the Heat's winning margin.  But if either LeBron or Wade decide to play, then this pick is completely reversed.
• Confidence:  50%
15. NBA:  49 Points or fewer
• Because of the reasons mentioned above, I don't see the Heat scoring over 50 points in the first half.  Now, the Heat do still have some great players who can score, but they are not use to running their offense without LeBron and Wade.  So let's just say, if the Heat are not at full strength, I can't see the Heat scoring a lot tonight.
• Confidence:  50%
16. MLB:  Chicago White Sox
• The White Sox have owned the Mariners of late, winning 24 of 28 since the start of 2010. Chicago will start Jose Quintana at pitcher, who went 2 - 0 with a 2.03ERA in the spring, and 6 - 6 with a 3.76ERA after replacing the injured John Danks last season.  Seattle will counter with Blake Beavan, who was inconsistent at best last season, at one point even being demoted to Triple A.  The White Sox have looked good to start the season, and they should get another win at home.
• Confidence: 70%
17. MLB:  Milwaukee Brewers
• Wow this is a tough call.  Both of these teams have outstanding pitchers starting this game.  Wade Miley had a great rookie season last year for Arizona, going 16 - 11 with a 3.33ERA, but was 1 - 1 with a 10.24ERA against Milwaukee.  Kyle Lohse, now with Milwaukee, was 16 - 3 with a 2.36ERA with the Cardinals last season, in particular 1 - 0 with a 0.77ERA against the DBacks.  So I think either team could win this, but Lohse is the better pitcher, the Brewers are favored -130 at home, and I think the DBacks will be tired after their 16-game marathon against the Cardinals.
• Confidence: 60%
18. Soccer:  Sporting Kansas City Win
• SKC was clearly the best team in the East last season and has started off good this year as well and currently sits near the top of the table.  DC United was great last year but this season, although the season is still young, is down there the bottom of the Eastern Conference table.  It is still early in the season and is therefore hard to know what to expect.  I believe SKC is a more talented team and veteran striker Claudio Bieler has been in good form so far this season.  
• Confidence:  60%
19. NBA:  Any other number
• I don't see a single player scoring more than 10 points in the second half.  The Heat will not have a superstar on the court, except maybe Bosh, and so I don't expect a single player to score over 10 points.
• Confidence:  50%
20. NBA:  Los Angeles Lakers
• I don't trust the Lakers ever.  I don't trust this pick one bit.  The Grizzlies are a much better team than the Lakers, but I have to pick LA in this game for two reasons.  First, they Lakers are absolutely desperate and cannot afford a single loss, especially at home.  And second, Kobe will do whatever is necessary to win, even if it means scoring 82 points.
• Confidence:  60%