The hits just keep on coming. While the NFL continues to infuriate me and the NBA and NHL Playoffs continue to confuse me, all is right in the baseball world. The Dodgers keep rolling as do I on both Beat the Streak and Streak for the Cash. If you look at the pictures above, the smiles on Adrian Gonzalez and Mike Trout's faces is indicative of my current state of mind. If you scroll down just a bit to MOZGOV SMASH, that is how I am going to feel when it is all over. Somber and Russian.
I go for the Freeway Double Down on Beat the Streak today with the aforementioned Adrian Gonzalez (what else is new) and Mike Trout. Adrian and the Dodgers face off with their former teammate Danny Haren and the Marlins. Like fellow former Dodger Dee Gordon, a regular here on SIP, Haren is having a career resurgence in South Beach. He also has some pretty staunch numbers in his career against Gonzalez. Like I said before though, I am riding out Gonzalez until he fails me. I owe him that much. Trout has never faced Colorado's Kyle Kendrick before. With the way he's been pitching this year, Kendrick is probably going to have wished it stayed that way after tonight's contest.
It was all California on BTS while it is an all Pennsylvania showdown on Streak for the Cash. I am taking the Pittsburgh Pirates to defeat the Phillies tonight at 7:05. A.J. Burnett is back in Pittsburgh pitching well again, trying to make people forget that dreadful campaign he put forth on the other side of the state. The Phillies are just rancid and will send Sean O'Sullivan, fresh off the DL, to the slaughter. The Pirates are finally starting to gel after some early season bumps in the road. This should be a breezy W12 for me.
Now for the depressing part of this column, the NBA Drive To The Finals. Marcin Gortat put up an unacceptable 11 PRA on a miserable 1-for-7 shooting performance in a Game 4 loss to the Hawks. Outside of taking LeBron James or one of the high valued Bulls guys, I don't have much in the way of under the radar options tonight. Therefore, I'm taking a flyer on a 0% guy in Timofey Mozgov. The 0% strategy paid off last time with a 39 PRA from Michael Carter-Williams in SIP 103. Let's hope lightning strikes twice. HAPPY STREAKING EVERYBODY!!!
Image Credits: Gonzalez/Trout BTS (mlb.com), Streak pick (espn.com), Mozgov DTTF (nba.com)