Streak for the Cash Picks, August 15

Aug 13, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay (34) prior to a game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

After yesterday’s fairly vanilla Streak for the Cash board, today’s version is much more of a combo-twist. There’s baseball all day which is always a cool feature on Wednesday throughout the MLB season, and that’s blended with a heavy dose of international and MLS soccer all day as well.

Yesterday, my picks went 2-1 with one cancellation. Fortunately, I wasn’t sure with my Nats pick so I stayed away keeping my streak at two thanks to Maria Kirilenko and the White Sox. Here’s where I’m looking for some more green today:

Picks for 8/15

12:40- Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay has looked back to his old dominant self giving up just a run on five hits and a walk over his last two starts spanning 15 innings. The Phillies haven’t given up a run yet in the series in Miami winning 4-0 and 1-0. The Marlins lineup will have to be way more effective against Halladay as they counter with Mark Buehrle who hasn’t won in five starts while allowing 20 earned runs in 26.1 innings. The Phillies are a pretty easy pick here despite their disappointing record on the season. Confidence Meter: 8 (out of 10)

4:3o- Spain wins by 3+ goals: This Spain squad is virtually the same as their European Championship team from 2012 and should look to pour it on against Puerto Rico who is ranked 138. Spain has an incredible amount of firepower and will put on a clinic and could easily win by five goals. Confidence Meter: 5

7:05- LA Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw takes the hill against the Pirates as the Dodgers look to take their third game in a row from the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Kershaw has won his last three starts and will be opposed by Wandy Rodriguez who hasn’t won since the All-Star break. The Dodgers won last night 11-0, and while I think today’s game will be closer I see LA coming out on top once again. Confidence Meter: 6

8:00- Mexico win: Mexico just won the Gold Medal at the Olympics. The US failed to qualify. I realize that these are different teams than are eligible for that competition, but those results speak to the national soccer programs in the countries at this point. Also, the Mexico City stadium, Estadio Azteco, is at serious altitude sitting at 7,400 feet. The US record is a dismal 0-19-1 at this stadium and 0-23-1 overall in Mexico all-time.  Confidence Meter: 8

10:10- Vancouver Whitecaps: Vancouver beat Dallas 1-0 in their earlier meeting north of the border at Swangard Stadium in BC. On the road all year FC Dallas has struggled to a 1-8-2 record. The Whitecaps are coming off a big 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake but will be without three of their main players due to injury, suspension, and international duty. I still think they’ll have enough to get the win at home against the struggling Dallas squad. Confidence Meter: 4

August Results

Overall Record: 36-28

Confident Picks (5+): 14-12

Personal Streak: W2