At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Miami Marlins.  This could be a new low for Orioles, rivaling their 21-game losing streak they had to start the 1988 season.  The O's were 19-48 coming into this home weekend series against the lowly Marlins probably figuring there would be a ray of sunshine over the three days, even if it was temporary.  But that hasn't happened and Baltimore has dropped the first two games, taking its losing streak to nine straight.  At least for the final game of the series, the O's will have their ace, RHP Dylan Bundy, on the mound while Miami will go with first year rookie RH Trevor Richards.  The 25-year-old is 1-3 with a 4.41 ERA in seven starts since getting the call-up and that lone victory was at home against the Giants.  On the road, his ERA sits at an unsightly 5.71 (with a 1.79 WHIP).  Meanwhile, Bundy has been one of the very few bright spots for the Orioles, very bright at times as a matter of fact.  Over his last three starts, Bundy has a sparkling 1.29 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 21 innings.  And he hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 17 innings.  Finally, Baltimore is 77-45 (+18 games on the moneyline) as a home favorite.  Take the O's.  5* MLB GAME OF THE MONTH.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on Brazil on the money line vs. Switzerland.  Brazil was embarrassed in the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup in a 7-1 loss on its home soil to Germany.  They tried to blame that on an injury to Neymar who was unavailable for that match.  But an uninspired opening to their World Cup qualifying matches led to the firing of their manager, Dunga.  He was replaced by Tite, who made himself a student of the game by studying under some of the best European managers before taking this assignment.  The best change that Tite installed was to employ an aggressive style of play which not only takes better advantage of the immense talent advantage the Selecao roster enjoys, but also makes his team less dependent on the talents of Neymar (which was the biggest vulnerability for this team four years ago).  That is a great recipe for a Brazilian roster which is even more loaded with talent han it was four years ago.  They open against a solid but unspectacular Switzerland side which is balanced but lacks elite talent beyond its 26-year-old midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, who starred for a relegated Stoke City in the EPL.  And it is no slight to Shaqiri to suggest that even he might not crack the starting XI if these two sides merged rosters.  The Swiss National Team has professional talent but it simply lacks the scoring prowess to make dents against what is probably the most impenetrable defensive group in this entire tournament.  Switzerland scored only three goals in its four matches in the 2016 Euro where it lost to Poland in the quarterfinals.  While Brazil's ability to succeed against the very best competition in the world remains a question, its enormous talent edge -- along with a more strategic method of play -- should overwhelm the Swiss.  Take Brazil on the money line.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.