Yesterday was a mixed bag for myself on Streaking In Public. I have learned that I cannot trust the Washington Nationals. I have also learned that the baseball Giants are poised to be as bad at scoring this year as the football Giants were. That is why on SFTC today I am avoiding baseball all together. I'll get to that reasoning in a bit but first, a game I actually did well in!
My second base platoon was anything but second best on Tuesday. Dee Gordon and Jose Altuve both recorded hits in their respective games. Gordon got his out of the way in his first at-bat against Trevor Cahill, and then stole second base. Altuve made me wait until the seventh inning before beating out a tough infield single against Oakland reliever Eric O'Flaherty. Today I am doubling down again with Eric Hosmer of the undefeated (7-0) Royals and reigning AL MVP Mike Trout. Hosmer plays the Twins and starter Kyle Gibson. What happened to Gibson in his first start against Detroit could be classified as assault (3 2/3 innings, 8 hits, 6 runs, 5 walks). The Royals, Hosmer especially, should compound Gibson's woes this afternoon. I don't have to say much to explain my Trout pick. He's facing Texas and Anthony Ranaudo. The former Boston farmhand is making his first start of 2015. If it is anything like his 2014, there will be hits aplenty.
After being torched by two of my NL playoffs picks, I have shunned the great sport of baseball and ventured overseas on Streak for the Cash. I will be kicking two wounded dogs in picking against both Parma in Serie A and Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League. The story of the fall of Parma is a tale European soccer fans have seen before at Portsmouth, Leeds, and at Glasgow Rangers. The team is so far in debt that they cannot pay their players. They have been docked points twice for failure to pay their players and are poised for a mass exodus and possible dissolution come summer. They did just shock Serie A leader Juventus last week but I fully expect Genoa to take all three points from the doomed Gialloblu today. Paris Saint-Germain is not in the financial dire straits that Parma is but are quite short staffed heading into their quarterfinal opening leg against mighty Barcelona. Barça will not have to plan for striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, defender Serge Aurier, or midfielder Marco Verrati as all three are suspended. Thiago Motta and David Luiz are both unlikely to play with thigh problems. Even at full strength I feel PSG are ill equipped to deal with the attacking hydra of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, and Neymar. This one could get ugly. HAPPY STREAKING EVERYBODY!!
Image Credits: Hosmer/Trout BTS (mlb.com), Streak picks (espn.com)