First and foremost, congratulations to the Golden State Warriors on winning the NBA Championship last night over LeBron James and the Island of Misfit Toys. I am going to miss the NBA. The Finals provided me with streak goodness during a time that I couldn't pick my nose otherwise. However, we can't sit here and lament over the past. Onward we must go. To the picks!
Miguel Cabrera was pitched to very carefully by Michael Lorenzen and the Reds yesterday. Even with this cautious approach, Cabrera was able to scratch out a hit for me on Beat the Streak. With my W2 in tow, I decided to get a little ballsy today. Yup, I'm going against a team that has just thrown five shutouts in six games. I am taking Jose Abreu against Jeff Locke and the Pittsburgh Pirates. In my defense, Locke is the weakest link in the Bucs' rotation currently. His last start was the 13 inning, inter-Pennsylvania, full Nyquil bottle of a baseball game with the Phillies. The Pirates won 1-0, but the Phillies (whose offense leaves a lot to be desired) were able to get six hits off of him and ten total. I like my chances today with the reigning AL Rookie of the Year.
It is funny that I bring up the Phillies though. They are coming off a drubbing for the ages from Baltimore. I don't expect the O's to replicate their massive eight home run attack from a night ago. I don't expect Jeff Francoeur to get two innings of relief again either. What I do expect is an easy Baltimore victory and a W3 heading into a busy end of the week on Streak for the Cash. HAPPY STREAKING EVERYBODY!!!!
Image Credits: Abreu BTS (mlb.com), Streak pick (espn.com)