Streak for the Cash Picks – August 7

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) celebrates with his teammates after the Pirates 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Pugliese-US PRESSWIRE

Tuesday may seem familiar to Streak for the Cash players since it’s virtually a mirror of Monday. There’s some Olympic picks to get things rolling in the morning and afternoon followed by the bevy of straight-up picks in Major League Baseball.

Monday went pretty well for my picks with a 4-2 record overall. My personal streak was green, green, and green as Japan, the Braves, and the Angels got me to a W3. Hoping to keep it rolling today with these picks:

Picks for 8/7

9:00- Any Other Result: Canada has managed to keep their games close throughout the Olympics. Their biggest loss to date has been a nine point loss to the Aussies. That’s about the change since the USA women are just crushing everyone. 35 points though seems high and the line is only at 33.5. I think the Canadians will keep it around 15-20. Confidence Meter: 4 (out of 10)

11:20- Jordyn Wieber to get a medal: It’s a bit of a sentimental pick here, but she handled herself well after she failed to qualify for the overall so hopefully she can get a medal here in this individual event. She’s either third or fourth favorite depending on where you look, but I think she’s got a good performance in her. Confidence Meter: 2

Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

1:00- Any Other Result: Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor are incredible and their Olympic dominance over time is absolutely amazing. That being said, the Americans are actually the lower seen  in this match and have lost to the Chinese team they’re playing in their last three meetings including getting crushed at their last match in the Moscow Grand Slam final. The Americans have stepped up their game for the Olympics and have been rolling right along, but I think to expect them to win in straight sets here is a bit optimistic. I hope they win, but I think it will take them at least three sets to do so. Confidence Meter: 6

7:05- Pittsburgh Pirates: Jeff Karstens is really good at home, as I discussed here. The Pirates at home have been an MLB-leading 34-16 while the D-Backs struggle on the road (25-30). I’d be more confident if it wasn’t for Patrick Corbin’s last start where he looked great while shutting out LA. The Pirates hit left-handed pitching pretty well thanks mostly to Andrew McCutchen and I think they’ll win this one behind a solid effort from Karstens. Confidence Meter: 7

8:10- Cincinnati Reds: Johnny Cueto looks for his 15th win on the year in Milwaukee as the Brewers send elite rookie Michael Fiers looks to help the Brewers win their fifth hoe game in a row. Fiers has been great, but took the loss against Cueto when the two pitched opposite each other July 22. The Reds offense has sputtered a bit in their last few games, but I think they’ll get enough to beat Milwaukee. Don’t put a long streak on this one though… Confidence Meter: 3

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

10:05- Los Angeles Angels: The A’s have come back to earth after a scorching July and look to Bartolo Colon to stop the Angels and get them back on the right track. The key to this game though isn’t Colon; it’s the Angels starting pitcher C.J. Wilson. Wilson got thumped by his former team deep in the heart of Texas his last time out but is always good at Oakland. He has a 2-1 record and a 1.67 ERA in his four career starts in Oakland. May 22 he started there and allowed just a hit in eight innings in his best start of the year. If the good Wilson shows up, LAA will win easily. Picking Mike Trout and the dynamic Angels lineup is always a good call too. Confidence Meter: 6

August Record

Overall Record: 19-13

Confident Picks (5+): 7-6

Personal Streak: W3