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%