Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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05-03-21 | Blazers v. Hawks -2 | 114-123 | Win | 100 | 8 h 53 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Four-for-four! The Blazers’ revenge tour is a success, as they have beaten Indiana, Memphis, Brooklyn and Boston in a six-day span on the road. All four had beaten them in Portland. Crazy, stuff, eh? But not at all unpredictable, as we’ve selected the Blazers in a few of these. But the six-game trip is a guaranteed winning one. Atlanta did not beat them in Portland. The Blazers won yesterday in Boston, while the Hawks were off. Only eight fellas played for them. Now that the Blazers have pulled even with the Lakers for the #6 spot – the “last in” to avoid the play-in series – this arena becomes the invisible force field to stall their momentum and help Lebron avoid the indignity of a king needing to play his way into the postseason fray. |
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05-03-21 | Pacers v. Wizards -3 | 141-154 | Win | 100 | 7 h 57 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units The Pacers lost to the D.C. Boys in March in a game where Washington missed Bradley Beal. Russell Westbrook had a monster line with 35 points, 14 boards and 21 assists. The Wizards were a plus 16 in points in the paint in that contest and a plus 7 in fast-break points. Washington has been rolling along. They have won 10 of 12. One of the losses in this time frame was in overtime and the other was by a point. Washington is a top 10 team in rebounding and they put pressure on teams since they score 115 a night. |
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05-03-21 | Magic v. Pistons -1.5 | 119-112 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 55 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Victimized by the mildly advertised return of Malik Monk and the surprise return of LaMelo Ball, the Pistons went down in flames at Charlotte on Saturday. Head coach Dwayne Casey has been less inclined to lose home games, in which his “rebuild” is an underrated 17-12 ATS. Orlando identifies more as a “torn down” team than a rebuild at the present time, is 9-21 SU away and coming off a home instant-revenge win vs. Memphis. Before the Magic traded half the team, they split two home games in three days with the Pistons in February, Detroit making the necessary adjustments to win the second. |
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05-03-21 | Pacers v. Wizards OVER 245.5 | Top | 141-154 | Win | 100 | 6 h 13 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit NBA Total of the Day Normally we’d say that ‘What went up must come down’ after the Pacers scored 152 points vs. OKC in their last game. But coming down 28 points from 152 still leaves you with 124, and the opponent is the Wizards, known for their sizable defensive yields (and offensive stat-stuffing). The Stat Guys, Westbrook and Beal, see this as a personal challenge to get to 153 points. ‘Hey, these guys can score. We need to score 40 per quarter!’ Westbook figures to have a free pass to attack the hoop all night long in the absence of Myles Turner, Indiana’s defensive anchor/shot-blocker. First-season Pacers’ head coach Nate Bjorken has ruined their prior defensive systems as he is intent on installing and executing his ‘get it and go’ offensive system from the Raptors. Which is the main reason why they have a losing record. But everybody’s scoring average is up, so no harm done. |
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05-03-21 | Penguins -158 v. Flyers | 2-7 | Loss | -158 | 9 h 18 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Pittsburgh won't be taking the Flyers for granted, as they've lost four of six in the season series thus far. Pittsburgh also needs to keep the foot on the gas until the final game, as both the Islanders and Capitals are hot on their heels. Pittsburgh comes in with plenty of momentum as well, holding on for an OT win at Washington, before then dominating in every facet two nights later in a 3-0 shutout win. The Flyers allow 3.5 GPG this year. Philly enters off two straight losses to the lowly Devils. |
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05-02-21 | Knicks -10.5 v. Rockets | 122-97 | Win | 100 | 10 h 6 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Houston with 16 wins is dead last in the West. The Rockets hosted the Warriors on Saturday and Golden State went into their former championship mode and crushed Houston in the third quarter. The Rockets only scored 12 points in the third stanza. The defense has been there all season for the Knicks but only 4 teams in the league are better at offensive three-point field-goal percentage. New York had every right to go through the motions the other time they met Houston this season. The Knicks were coming off a win over Washington 24 hours earlier but they held Houston to 8 for 43 shooting from downtown. That stat is no fluke as New York is the best in the business guarding the deep ball. The Knicks only failed to cover twice in April. |
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05-02-21 | Blazers +1.5 v. Celtics | 129-119 | Win | 100 | 10 h 33 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Celtics scored 143 points on this floor the other night, but didn’t cover the spread. Portland is loaded with more dangerous scorers than that San Antonio team and takes just as good care of the rock. If Portland is looking at their current road trip as a revenge tour, then it’s going very well so far with wins at Indiana and Brooklyn, who’d beaten them at home, as did Boston. |
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05-02-21 | Angels v. Mariners +143 | 0-2 | Win | 143 | 6 h 10 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Professional managers and coaches say it all the time: ‘Your worst performance is often followed by your best.’ Mariners’ lefty Justus Sheffield allowed a career high 12 hits to the Astros in 5 1/3 innings of work last time out. “You’re not going to have all three of your plus pitches every time,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said afterwards. “There were a couple of sliders that just didn’t have that finish to it, that bite. Not quite as sharp as he has been in the past.” Well, in sports, the past is present. We hope. Angels who’ve faced Sheffield are 5-for-26 against him, 1 double and 0 home runs. Dylan Bundy has made five starts for the Angels and has yet to be credited with a win (0-2). That’s not all his fault as his numbers are fine. But the Angels’ bullpen is not. |
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05-02-21 | Nets +2 v. Bucks | 114-117 | Loss | -102 | 6 h 34 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Bucks rebounded to win in Chicago after losing in Houston but the Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic gagged with 1-for-9 from three-point range. Blake Griffin won’t be spending much time out on the perimeter for the Nets, who shoot from the outside a whole heck of a lot better no matter who wins their nightly game of spin the bottle and gets to leave the court for a night. |
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05-02-21 | Royals +200 v. Twins | 4-13 | Loss | -100 | 1 h 59 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Royals remain atop all of MLB with a 16-9 record following yesterday's blowout win, yet they are enormous underdogs in today's rubber match at Target Field. Minnesota continues to flounder, losing 3 of their last 11 (-$815) and they are now only 2-8 (-$1120) in day games at home. Brad Keller has been sub-par in 2021, hence the generous price. But KC is now 11-5 when facing righthanders (+$610), so we like our chances vs. Berrios & Co. |
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05-02-21 | Astros v. Rays UNDER 8.5 | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -120 | 2 h 24 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit You have to be a pretty good pitcher for your team to be a -130 favorite in Tampa, who is last year’s AL Champ. Cristian Javier of the Astros is becoming pretty good. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last three starts, and only 8 hits in those 17 innings. Rich Hill usually gives 5 fine innings and gives way to the bullpen that started it all with the bullpen thing, which got them to the World Series last year. |
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05-02-21 | Marlins v. Nationals UNDER 7 | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 3 h 8 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Nats have won three straight, and are home with ace Max Scherzer on the mound while tied for first place. Big game! What could go wrong? Well, plenty but a pitcher of Scherzer’s caliber, as a relatively short favorite compared to where he’s typically been on the odds board, seems like a decent opportunity. Washington is down around Mets-Tigers level near the bottom of the ol’ Runs per Game chart (3.65), but hidden within that number is a Major-League high .312 Batting Average against left-handed pitching. Miami lefty Trevor Rogers has out-dueled Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes (impressive!) and Baltimore’s Bruce Zimmermann (not so impressive!) in his last two starts and has allowed 0 runs in three of his five. That’s nothing to sneeze at during allergy season but all we need is for the Nats to squeeze out one more run in a low-scoring game for us to be 2-0 in it. Scherzer is an ace off a bad outing in a strange ballpark (Toronto’s, in Dunedin, FL) coming home to friendly confines. He helped Washington win a couple of 1-0 games before that. |
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05-01-21 | Pelicans v. Wolves +4.5 | 140-136 | Win | 100 | 9 h 23 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units New Orleans had lost 6 of 8 before travelling to Oklahoma City on Thursday. In that game the Pelicans got good games out of their two stars but they got a break when OKC turned it over 22 times. Minnesota has won 4 in a row, 5 of 6 and the loss during this team frame came at Sacramento when they blew a fourth-quarter lead. D’Angelo Russell has embraced his current role off the bench as he is a legit starter. The Wolves dynamic rookie Anthony Edwards continues to improve. In Anthony’s last 7 games he has had 23, 28, 16, 23, 14, 19 and 25 points. |
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05-01-21 | Heat -11 v. Cavs | 124-107 | Win | 100 | 9 h 21 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Second of home back-to-backs for the crummy Cavaliers, with the Heat rested since Wednesday night’s 116-111 home win vs. the Spurs. Miami has had some sort of voodoo over the Cavs in recent seasons, 27-7 SU and the set-up is obviously no help to Cleveland’s chance of bettering their fortunes in the alleged series. East #7 Miami would be in a play-in slot if the season ended today, so they have a reason to show up. |
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05-01-21 | Cardinals -139 v. Pirates | 12-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 55 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units We keep saying that a) good things happen for the Cardinals when Jack Flaherty starts, and b) Jack Flaherty will be a -160 or greater option before long. And yet, he keeps coming back at considerably lesser odds, this evening against a so-so foe. The Cardinals are 5-0 in Flaherty’s starts and he stretched out to 7 innings last time against the Reds, allowing 3 hits and 1 run. His WHIP is 0.95; Pirates who have faced him are hitting just .192 against Flaherty with 0 home runs in 82 at bats. Seems like a bit much to overcome for a home team scoring only 3.8 runs per game and countering with a ho-hum, hangin’ on journeyman Trevor Cahill. Paul Goldschmidt is 3-for-4, Matt Carpenter 6-for-13 against Cahill. Nolan Arenado is 3-for-12 but 2 of the hits were doubles. Cahill’s ERA is 7.11 with a 1.42 WHIP after 19 innings of alternating bad-good starts, most recently good. |
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05-01-21 | Mets v. Phillies -121 | 5-4 | Loss | -121 | 7 h 21 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The anemic Mets offense waster another fine pitching performance last night, losing a 2-1 decision in the series opener. They're averaging just 2.7 runs per game, and have a 1-6 record in night games on the road (-$725 so far). Zack Wheeler has been effective in his five starts for the Phillies, and the team has a 9-4 record here at Citizens Bank (+$590). The cheap price on the home team is hard to resist. |
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05-01-21 | Cubs v. Reds OVER 8.5 | 3-2 | Loss | -120 | 5 h 28 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units A couple of struggling righthanders may re-discover their best stuff today. Then again, they may not. Last night’s Cubs/Reds went Over for us 8-6. Today, the Cubs starter enters with a 9.47 ERA and 2.21 WHIP after his first 19 innings as a member of this organization, his third in the last three seasons. Zach Davies has more walks (15) than strikeouts (14) and is pitching to the lineup that averages the most runs per game in its home ballpark, 7.77. Meanwhile, the Reds have lost four of Luis Castillo’s five starts. He allowed more hits than innings pitched in all four losses. His ERA and WHIP of 6.29 and 1.60 are nowhere near his career averages of 3.74 and 1.19. Reds’ bullpen ERA: 5.81 |
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05-01-21 | Royals +126 v. Twins | Top | 11-3 | Win | 126 | 4 h 33 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit MLB Play of the Day Life in a parked car at 5 am is no fun and it pretty much inhibits you from being at your best in several key day-to-day responsibilities. Royals lefthander Danny Duffy seems to have finally figured that out, for the time being, and avoided that kind of existence. Although his 5 innings of 4-hit, shutout ball against the Tigers six days ago is next to meaningless because it came against a team that can’t do anything vs. lefties, he’d made three quality starts prior to that. With the Royals still in first place in the American League Central despite last night’s 9-1 loss here, he enters with a WHIP of 1.04, ERA of 0.39. Duffy made three straight starts against the Twins in August last season and got better each time. The Twins won all three. Minnesota acquired Matt Shoemaker from the Angels after L.A. could stomach him no more. He is a long, black-bearded mediocrity and the Twins have lost his last three starts 8-6, 7-0 and 6-2. |
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04-30-21 | Jazz v. Suns -4.5 | 100-121 | Win | 100 | 9 h 3 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Part of Utah’s “peaking too soon” is beating the lousy Sacramento Kings by 51 points Wednesday night, scoring 154 in the process, one game before a rematch against the Suns. “All of us were a little bitter after losing two straight to Minnesota, so we really wanted to come out here and make a point,” Georges Niang said. You could respect them if they hadn’t lost two straight to Minnesota in the first place. When you play when you want to play – against bad opposition – the basketball gods don’t let you win when you want to play against a much better opponent. A Suns win forges a temporary tie for best record in the West/NBA. Like Minnesota, they’re already 2-0 vs. Utah before this third meeting. Like Minnesota |
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04-30-21 | Rockies +110 v. Diamondbacks | 2-7 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 41 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The 7-inning no-hitter thrown by D-Backs’ lefty Madison Bumgarner on Sunday was a little too good to be believed, especially since it came against the play against team from above that is hitting .139 against left-handed pitching (see how nicely we lead into these things?) Jon Gray recently beat the D-Backs in Coors Field with 6 2/3 innings of 2-hit, 1-run ball. They are 4-2 when he starts, both losses to the Dodgers. He brings a 1.09 WHIP, 2.54 ERA into this despite pitching in Coors Field for five of his six starts. |
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04-30-21 | Bucks v. Bulls +1 | 108-98 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 5 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Off their latest “most embarrassing loss of the season” (so many of them!) at worst-record Houston, this is second of back-to-backs, fourth game in six nights, for the Bucks, concluding a four-game road trip here against rested Bulls before going home for two games in three days vs. Brooklyn on Sunday and Tuesday. After much dicking around, a sweep of Brooklyn could actually help propel the Bucks back up to #1 in the East when all is said and done. And a lot is being said about them, but little is being done by coach Budenholzer or the players, who seems content with the status quo. Maybe he’s sandbagging for the playoffs. But first things first. Giannis, the Meek Greek Freak, got injured again last night. |
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04-30-21 | Royals v. Twins UNDER 8 | 1-9 | Loss | -113 | 7 h 1 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units Michael Pineda of the Twins got unlucky last time out against the Pirates when the Twins continued their habit of throwing the ball all over the field, everywhere except to where it needed to go. But shortstop Andrelton Simmons is back on the field and their defense probably can’t continue to be that bad. Pineda has a 0.90 WHIP after four starts and Royals who have faced him are a mere 7 for 52 against Pineda. Brady Singer faced the Twins in three straight starts as a rookie. He did all right, especially for a rookie facing the same playoff-making lineup three times in a 10-day span. With that trial by fire under his belt he faces them for the first time in 2021, off 2-0 and 2-1 wins in which he pitched 13 innings and allowed only 5 hits and 1 run. |
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04-30-21 | Wizards -6.5 v. Cavs | 122-93 | Win | 100 | 7 h 37 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Cleveland wasted a double/double from Jarrett Allen in the loss to Orlando on Wednesday. Collin Sexton missed the game as he was under concussion protocols. Cleveland has won 12 of 29 games at home this season. Washington has won 9 of their last 10 and the loss in that frame came in a barn burner when the Spurs prevailed in extra minutes. Russell Westbrook notched another triple/double in the win over the Lakers on Wednesday. For all the adversity the Wizards have gone through this season, they are holding on to a ‘play in’ spot and taking advantage of a favorable schedule stretch. |
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04-30-21 | Braves v. Blue Jays -125 | 5-13 | Win | 100 | 7 h 41 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Braves are hitting .139 against left-handed pitching. Who does that? Well, they do, so far. This level of futility comes with 4 home runs and 10 RBI in 118 at-bats. They are duking it out with Detroit to see who can be worse. Lefty Robbie Ray has a decent history against the guys he’s faced in this deficient-vs.-lefthanders lineup, allowing only 2 home runs in 80 at bats with a .286 Slugging Percentage against him. The bullpen behind Ray has a 2.30 ERA, 1.11 WHIP. Drew Smyly… yawn. 4, 5, 6 runs allowed in his three starts, including 6 home runs. The Blue Jays have averaged 5.62 runs per game in their latest of friendly Florida confines in Dunedin, FL, #4 in home ballpark scoring. |
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04-30-21 | Cubs v. Reds OVER 9 | 6-8 | Win | 100 | 6 h 9 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Cubs have awakened from their hitting slump and are tied with two other teams for best Hits per Run ratio in MLB, 1.57. One of the other two teams is the Reds, who return home to a ballpark in which they average 7.75 runs per game and are facing a starter who, while his short-sample 1021 numbers are better than in his last two seasons, still has much to prove as to whether or not he’ll ever achieve his old All-Star form. Meanwhile, the Cubs have 11 homers vs. left-handed pitchers, more than a bunch of teams with more at-bats against southpaws. Wind is blowing out to right-center. Up, up and away! |
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04-29-21 | Bucks v. Rockets UNDER 234 | 136-143 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units John Wall is out for the Rockets, so an inefficient offense with the worst three-point percentage in the NBA should probably get worse. The Bucks would figure to get a comfortable lead in this and with so few games remaining in the regular season, they should be looking to avoid getting into a track meet, play some defense because it will become more necessary in the post-season, and get that right instead of running up and down the floor trying to pile up as many points as possible, which would create the type of game from which a team would gain nothing from, other than a cheap W against a lousy team, which any decent team can accomplish. |
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04-29-21 | Cubs v. Braves OVER 9 | 9-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 48 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Braves’ righthander Bryce Wilson was dropped out of the sky into a post-season game as a MLB-debuting rookie against the Dodgers last year and allowed 1 hit in 6 innings in an Atlanta win. So far, this looks to have been a one-hit wonder (get it? He allowed 1 hit, ‘one-hit wonder’? Ha-ha). Anyway, with 9 total innings pitched in two starts, Wilson has allowed 11 hits and 6 runs. These Cubs, and the Diamondbacks, each hit 2 home runs against him. The Cubs beat him 13-4 on April 18 and should be happy to see him again so soon. Cubs starter Adbert Alzoloay has pitched only against the Brewers so far this season. Three starts, three losses. The Braves have been a more efficient offense than Milwaukee’s. Despite big struggles against left-handed pitching (.137 batting average vs. southpaws, yikes!), Atlanta’s Hits Per Run ratio of 1.58 is #4 in MLB, behind Chicago’s #2 of 1.56 Hits per Run. |
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04-29-21 | Islanders v. Rangers -123 | 4-0 | Loss | -123 | 7 h 19 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The skidding Islanders will look to steady their position in the East Division playoff race tonight when they are scheduled to visit the New York Rangers in the opener of a home-and-home series between the Big Apple-area foes. Both teams were off Wednesday after continuing streaks Tuesday, when the islanders suffered their third straight defeat with a 1-0 loss to the Washington Capitals and the Rangers earned their third consecutive win by beating the Buffalo Sabres 3-1. The results tightened the back half of what was once a mostly suspense-free race for the final playoff spot in the East. The third-place Islanders (29-15-5, 63 points), who were tied for first with the Capitals entering the opener of a three-game series against Washington on April 22, suffered their second 1-0 loss of the set to fall five points out of first while their lead over the fourth-place Boston Bruins shrank to a point by virtue of the Bruins' 3-1 win over the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins. And the Islanders are just five points ahead of the fifth-place Rangers (26-18-6, 58 points), who have gone 16-6-3 since March 13 to gain 12 points on their long-time rivals. |
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04-29-21 | Penguins -107 v. Capitals | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 4 h 15 m | Show | |
Rating: 10 Unit NHL Game of the Month The Washington Capitals hold a one-point lead over Pittsburgh in the East Division, and they can add to that in a key late-season matchup with the visiting Penguins tonight. The Capitals (32-13-4, 68 points) took over the top spot after a 1-0 victory over the Islanders on Tuesday completed a sweep of the three-game series with the New York Islanders -- with two of the wins coming on the road. Daniel Sprong, filling in for the injured Alex Ovechkin (lower-body injury) on the top line, scored the game's only goal just 89 seconds in, and goalie Vitek Vanecek (18 saves) plus a strong defense kept the Islanders at bay. Pittsburgh (32-15-3, 67 points) fell out of first after a 3-1 loss to Boston on Tuesday. That ended a four-game winning streak for the Penguins. Jeff Carter scored the lone Penguins' goal, which came in the third period after the Bruins were up 3-0, and Tristan Jarry finished with 28 saves. The Islanders (29-15-5, 63 points) fell to four points behind the Penguins while Boston (28-14-6, 62 points) sits in fourth. Washington has one game in hand over the Penguins, and the two teams also will meet on Saturday in D.C. Consider that Pittsburgh is 20-8 in their last 28 overall. |
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04-29-21 | Tigers v. White Sox UNDER 6 | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 5 h 31 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units The Tigers have been the meekest American League offensive team against left-handed pitching, with a .182 batting average against them, On-Base Percentage of only .239. White Sox lefty Carlos Rodon followed up on his no-hitter with 5 innings of 3-hit, 2-run ball on the road at Cleveland. Not bad, considering the Indians were the team he no-hit and they’d just faced him six days prior. Rodon has allowed only 2 runs and 5 hits in three starts, which have totaled 19 innings. His White Sox teammates hit heavy against lefties, close to normal vs. righties. |
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04-29-21 | Mariners v. Astros -149 | 1-0 | Loss | -149 | 3 h 41 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units In the first two games of this series, our ‘trigger’ was the scenario of the Astros facing a Seattle lefthander after they’d done okay vs. Kikuchi in Seattle despite not having 33% of the starting batting order available, and being pro-Houston. That was the right move each time and that is the scenario here, with Kikuchi in the flesh to try to improve upon the 5 runs he allowed to the Astros’ B lineup in that game. After wins as home favorite of -170 and -160, then yesterday’s ‘pass’ on Houston against a righty at -200 (they won that one, too), today’s -150 is pretty much a ‘buy low’ on these Astros, who have proven worthy in the situation while quickly leapfrogging the Mariners in the standings. Seattle came into this series in first place in the AL West. Not anymore. |
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04-29-21 | A's -105 v. Rays | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 2 h 36 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Athletics look to bounce back from two defeats and achieve a split of the four game series with ace righthander Chris Bassitt, who's been flashing good form in recent appearances (3.00 ERA last two). The A's remain atop the competitive AL West (7-3, +$385 last 10 days) and come in here with a 7-3 record in day games (+$455). They'll face a first time starter at Tropicana Field, so we'll take the visitor against the Tampa rookie left-hander. |
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04-28-21 | Ducks v. Kings -159 | 3-2 | Loss | -159 | 9 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Los Angeles Kings appear to have found the right combination against the Anaheim Ducks, winning the past three meetings by a combined score of 13-3. They'll see if they can unlock their offense again on Wednesday night when they host the Ducks in the second of four games in six days against their struggling rival to the south. Los Angeles (18-22-6, 42 points) had seven defensemen in their lineup against the Ducks on Monday night, one more than usual, and two scored in the 4-1 victory that kept its slim playoff hopes alive. Sean Walker scored his second goal of the season and Mikey Anderson tallied his first to help the Kings to an early 2-0 lead. |
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04-28-21 | Rockies +140 v. Giants | 3-7 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 26 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Eyeballing this match-up yesterday we were hoping the Rockies would still be winless on the road because it’s more fun that way. But they won last night. No problem. We’re pretty sure that that they’ll win more than 1 of 81 away from Coors Field. A good spot for another would be when starting a pitcher like German Marquez. Or, better yet, German Marquez himself. Until Jon Gray suddenly became consistently good this April (with five more months to get through), Marquez was Colorado’s most reliable starter for the last few seasons. He made two starts vs. the Giants in 2020. One was home, the other in whatever the heck they’re calling it this year — Pac Bell? SBC? AT&T? Nah, not it. But who cares? Marquez was 2-0 in those games, giving up 11 hits and 3 runs in 13 1/3 innings with 12-2 K-BB. Lefty Alex Wood, first-season Giant, is 2-0 after befuddling the Marlins in back-to-back starts. We’ll let him prove he can get past this lineup, with guys who’ve combined to hit .304 against him with a .584 slugging percentage and 17 RBIs in 56 at-bats. |
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04-28-21 | Blazers v. Grizzlies -1 | 130-109 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 37 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units After two wins at Portland last week, the home side has an opportunity to make a real statement by denying the Blazers the satisfaction of getting revenge for the double-dose they were forced to swallow. On Monday night, the Grizzlies gave a handicapping lesson on what happens to teams after they complete a two-game sweep of Portland in Portland but are forced to play in Denver the next night, against an allegedly “depleted” backcourt: 120-96, Denver. Memphis sank only 4 of 32 on three-pointers, which high school girls could have bettered. The situation got ’em. Bounce-back time with rest, as Blazers go back-to-back after beating a team that can’t win at home. |
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04-28-21 | Angels v. Rangers +115 | 4-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 44 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Young Dunning has done okay so far for the win-later Rangers after being traded by the win-now White Sox for Lance Lynn over the winter. While the White Sox validated themselves by shellacking the heck out of him five days ago (‘Hey, we traded you. You think we’re not going to kill you now?), he’d given the Rangers three starts of 6, 4, 5 innings prior to that, allowing 10 hits and 1 run in 15 innings with 17-2 K-BB. But then came his former teammates, in Chicago, to put the second-year major leaguer in his place. But the Angels have never faced Dunning as the scoreboard re-sets to 0-0 and Alex Cobb opposes him. In nine MLB seasons before this, his first with the Angels, Cobb’s K-per-9 inning rates have been: 6.3, 7.0, 8.4, 8.1, 6.5, 6.4, 6.0, 5.8, 6.5. So far in 2021 after three very spaced-apart starts, that rate is 13.2 Ks per 9 innings. That’s what we call ‘No way, Jose’ numbers, whiffing almost twice as many guys per 9 IP as in any of the last five seasons. A guy with a 6.28 ERA and 1.60 WHIP despite the too high-to-be-believed K rate destined to come down, seems like a meaty bone being served to a hungry home dog. |
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04-28-21 | Bulls v. Knicks -4 | 94-113 | Win | 100 | 7 h 5 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Chicago faced Miami on Monday and the Bulls got a break when Miami failed to show up for the fourth quarter. They Heat lost the last stanza by 14 points and the game by 8. The Bulls are currently on the outside looking into the playoff picture. Chicago is 12 and 18 at home this season. This is a different Knicks team that split 2 games with Chicago in February. New York had won 9 in a row before hosting the Number 2 team in the West, Phoenix, on Monday. In that game that streak ended thanks to a clutch performance by Chris Paul. The New York defense is there every night but during that winning streak, the Knicks were scoring 119 points per 100 possessions. The best in the league. Look for Julius Randle to be in tune here after going just 6 for 17 from the floor Monday. |
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04-28-21 | Cubs v. Braves -126 | 0-10 | Win | 100 | 7 h 49 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Cubs lost to Atlanta for the fourth time in five head to head games this season (-$350) when they squared off last night, and they're poised to get swept at SunTrust Park. Chicago now has a pitiful 4-13 record vs. right-handers in 2021 (-$1120), averaging a mere 2.9 runs per game in those contests. Huascar Ynoa checks in with a 2.25 ERA at home, while Kyle Hendricks has been ineffective in four starts for the Cubs (-$355, 5.68 ERA). Good spot for the Braves to pick up another win over the struggling visitor.raves to pick up another win over the struggling visitor. |
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04-28-21 | Nationals v. Blue Jays OVER 9.5 | 8-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 39 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units Steven Matz has been having just a high old time of it for his new team, Toronto. Four starts, four wins. a 2.31 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. Sign him up to start the All-Star game and begin engraving his name on the Cy Young Award, right? Well, not so fast, my friends. This National League refugee has been foolin’ American League teams. Washington is in the National League. They know this guy from being in the same NL East with him. They have driven Matz to many an ERA-inflating early exit. Speaking of early exits, we give you the Nationals’ Erikc Fedde, averaging less than 5 IP per start with an ERA of 5.55, WHIP of 1.47. Blue Jays are averaging 6.14 runs per game in their Florida ballpark. |
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04-28-21 | Reds v. Dodgers OVER 7.5 | 0-8 | Win | 100 | 4 h 47 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Sonny Gray has faced the Dodgers only once since coming to the National League. It was in April, 2019, and he threw 6 innings of 2-hit ball against them. Nice, but, even though it was only two seasons ago, there is much water under that bridge. The Dodgers have become a better-hitting team in the interim. Gray, meanwhile, tailed off badly in the latter part of 2020, made a late 2021 debut, and after two starts has a 7.88 ERA and 2.13 WHIP. He couldn’t complete 5 innings against Cleveland, then failed to make it out of the fourth inning at St. Louis. It’s a 1:10 pm, PT local start, in broad daylight throughout. No shadows to help. Nowhere to hide. That goes for Kershaw, too, who is who he is but it would not be a surprise if, given Gray’s most recent history and some Cincinnati bullpen meltdowns, L.A. went Over this total on their own. |
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04-27-21 | Mariners v. Astros -190 | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 3 h 41 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units A lay as large as last night’s, and now tonight’s, is higher than we’ll typically go but ya’ gotta do what ya’ gotta do in order to win. Right? Right. We referenced the situation yesterday: Houston hits lefties pretty well. They got to one in Seattle despite missing 33% of their starting batting order but lost the game. They got to one last night for 12 hits and 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings with all of those guys back. (Hey, with 12 hits, they shoulda scored more than 5 runs against Sheffield, for cryin’ out loud!) Even Jose Altuve, whose status they were keeping under wraps, showed up for the first time in a while and went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI. Did Seattle learn anything? Seemingly not. They insist on throwing another lefthander at the Astros tonight, against whom the Houston batters have a .318 against in 138 at-bats. Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman… hitting .429, .500, .444 and .348 against Marco Gonzalez. The Astros counter with Cristian Javier, who exits a pair of 5-inning, 3-hit, shutout ball starts against the A’s and Angels with total K-BB 16-3. |
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04-27-21 | Red Sox +136 v. Mets | 2-1 | Win | 136 | 2 h 46 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Mets have the second worst Hits per Run scored ratio in MLB, 2.32 hits for every run. They are #28 of 30 in runs per game: 3.29. With this offense — always eligible to improve but being what it is right now — they throw lefty David Peterson, who has yet to log a full Major League season, at the lineup with the best road batting average and slugging percentage in MLB, .286 and .510. When the Cubs were having mysterious problems at the plate, the baseball gods sent Peterson to Wrigley field last week to help revive Chicago bats in a 16-4 Mets loss started by Peterson, who allowed 6 runs in 3 1/3 innings. Only 3 of the runs were earned but 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings is a better offensive rate than the Mets have been scoring at over 8 or 9 innings. |
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04-27-21 | Blazers -5 v. Pacers | 133-112 | Win | 100 | 2 h 30 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units The Pacers were 9-17 SU home before winning two in a row against a terrible twosome: OKC, Detroit. They somehow managed to win 111-87 in Portland back in January, but the Blazers got an in-game distraction that night when Jusuf Nurkic was lost to injury and now the Pacers have been without the two frontcourt players who played well in that win – Sabonis and Turner – for the |
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04-27-21 | Bucks v. Hornets +9.5 | 114-104 | Loss | -110 | 1 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Milwaukee’s P.J. Tucker is dealing with an ankle issue and he is a solid two-way player. The Bucks had a let down on Sunday against the Hawks after beating Philly in consecutive games. This is Milwaukee’s third game in 4 nights and they just might be looking ahead to the back-to-back games to open May against Brooklyn. This is a much more important game for Charlotte as they try to sweep the 3-game season series with Milwaukee here and with only 11 regular season games left after this contest. They beat Milwaukee back in January despite playing the second of a back-to-back game and in spite of the fact Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 boards and 9 assists. Charlotte Coach James Borrego wrote ‘be unselfish’ on the whiteboard in the locker room before Charlotte played the Celts on Sunday. His team listened with 39 assists in the powerful win. |
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04-27-21 | Bruins -113 v. Penguins | 3-1 | Win | 100 | 1 h 30 m | Show | |
Rating: 5 Units The Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins aren't in the playoffs yet, but they are offering a preview of postseason play during their two-game set that concludes Tuesday in Pittsburgh. The Penguins (32-14-3, 67 points) moved into first place in the East Division with a 1-0 win Sunday, seven points ahead of the Bruins (27-14-6, 60 points), who sit in the fourth and final playoff spot in the division. The two-game set could be a preview of a first-round playoff matchup, and the teams played like it -- tight, smart, with strong defense and good goaltending. That means not cheating defensively despite both clubs having explosive offensive players. Consider that the favorite is 20-7 in the last 27 meetings. |
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04-27-21 | Nationals v. Blue Jays UNDER 8.5 | 5-9 | Loss | -109 | 2 h 41 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Nationals ace Max Scherzer is pitching like Max Scherzer: three starts five days apart totaling 19 innings, only 9 hits, 1 run, 24-4 KK-BB. He and his teammates head Blue Jay way to play against Tampa-based Toronto batters who have combined for 6 hits in 56 at-bats against Scherzer. That’s an .066 Batting Average. It’s a good thing for them that they haven’t had to face Scherzer in every at-bat, or they’d have to find a new profession for a lot less money! Meanwhile, Toronto is turning Tyler Thornton into a reliever/opener. So far, so good with a 1.86 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 9 2/3 innings. Toronto’s bullpen has a 2.10 ERA, lowest in MLB, paired with a respectable fifth lowest WHIP of 1.12. Home pitchers will be tossing at the lineup with the worst Hits per Run ratio in MLB: 2.39 hits for every run scored by the Nationals. |
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04-27-21 | Royals v. Pirates -106 | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 1 h 1 m | Show | |
Rating: 5 Units One of the pleasant surprises for Matheny has been Tuesday's starting pitcher, RHP Jakob Junis. Originally slated for long relief and the occasional spot start, Junis is 1-0 with a 3.71 ERA. He's gone exactly five innings in his three starts and appears to have found a solid spot in the rotation. Junis will face lefty Tyler Anderson, who is 2-2 with a 3.92 ERA. He has been steady, going five or 5 1/3 innings, and allowing three or fewer runs in each of his four starts. He's struck out 21 in 20 1/3 innings. Neither Junis or Anderson has faced Tuesday's opponent before. |
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04-27-21 | Twins v. Indians UNDER 8.5 | 4-7 | Loss | -110 | 1 h 39 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units You have to believe that Kenta is Maeda better stuff than the efforts that have produced a 6.11 ERA and 1.87 WHIP after four starts. He made 11 starts in his first season with the Twins and had an ERA of 2.70, WHIP of 0.75. There’s regressions, for sure, but this is too far the other way. The light-hitting Indians are a good lineup for him to get back on track against. But the Twins batters have gone cold against just about anybody and everybody, lefty, righty, young, old, doesn’t matter. In the one game Minnesota has managed to win in their last 13, they scored 2 runs. |
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04-26-21 | Mariners v. Astros -162 | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 31 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Astros aren’t hitting .300 against lefties anymore but their run production against them has been just fine, as it was when they faced a different Mariners lefty — Kikuchi — in Seattle during a recent road trip. They got 5 runs against that guy despite playing without Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez. But they still had a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh of that game, when the bullpen started to blow it. Altuve has still been out but the others are back. Justus Sheffield has a more difficult lineup to get through than any of the Seattle pitchers had during that prior series in Seattle. Jose Urquidy gave the Astros 5 2/3 innings of 5-hit, 2-run ball in that loss which is all you can ask for and not unreasonable to expect again. |
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04-26-21 | Bulls v. Heat -6 | 110-102 | Loss | -103 | 8 h 22 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Chicago was in South Beach on Saturday and the Bulls came out flat and that was pretty much the game. They were down by 19 with 12 minutes to go and could not make up that gap. Miami needs every single game from here on out and they figure to be in tune to play 48 minutes after holding off the Bulls rally Saturday. They sit just outside the 6th spot in the East and that is the key seed in both Conferences. Duncan Robinson is coming off a solid game on Saturday as he became the third player this season to hit six 3-pointers by halftime in multiple games joining Steph Curry and Zach LaVine. |
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04-26-21 | Panthers -111 v. Predators | 1-4 | Loss | -111 | 8 h 59 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Nashville Predators have struggled all season against teams currently ahead of them in the Central Division standings ... particularly, the Florida Panthers. Nashville (26-21-2, 54 points) holds the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central after going 2-0-1 during three straight games with sixth-place Chicago. The Predators own a five-point lead over the Blackhawks, but just two on fifth-place Dallas, which holds two games in hand. Now, the Predators host second-place Florida (31-13-5, 67 points), a team Nashville is 2-4 against this season. The Panthers' Chris Driedger, who made 16 saves on Saturday for his 13th win of 2020-21, has stopped 45 of 46 shots and posted a shutout in two starts against the Predators this season. Teammate Sergei Bobrovsky, who has 17 victories, owns a 3.47 goals-against average while going 2-1-1 against Nashville in 2020-21. |
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04-26-21 | Marlins v. Brewers UNDER 6.5 | 8-0 | Loss | -109 | 8 h 59 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Nobody’s been hitting Corbin Burnes well. The first to do it wouldn’t figure to be the Marlins, coming out of San Francisco off the red-eye after scoring 0, 3, 5, 3 runs in that series. Burnes has made four starts, all 6 innings, allowing 1, 1, 2 and 4 hits, a total of 1 run in 24 innings with 40-0 K-BB. That’s 0 walks, not a misprint. It’s 1-2-3 strikes you’re out!… 1-2-3 strikes you’re out! The bullpen behind Burnes is good. Miami starter Trevor Rogers is doing well in his own right: 4 starts, a total of 22 IP, with a 1.64 ERA and 1.00 WHIP, only 1 home run allowed. Not bad, kid. Rogers pitched 7 innings of 4-hit, shutout ball vs. Baltimore five days ago, needing only 82 pitches in a 3-0 win. The Yelich-less Brewers have never faced him at this level and are hitting a mere .222 vs. left-handed pitching. |
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04-26-21 | Cavs v. Raptors -9.5 | 96-112 | Win | 100 | 8 h 54 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Cleveland had lost 4 of 5 before travelling to D.C. on Sunday. The win during this time frame came against the 25-35 Bulls. On Sunday Cleveland fell about when it counted in the last stanza. It’s been a forgettable season for Toronto but they still are just a game and a half out of a ‘play in’ possibility in the East. This is a game they need too with only 11 games left in the season and the next 5 against teams that are solidly in the playoff picture. The Raptors had a nice 4-game winning streak halted by the Knicks on Saturday but even in that defeat, Toronto was well within striking distance with 12 minutes to play. Look for Kyle Lowry to be focused after scoring just 4 points Saturday. When Toronto beat the Ohio Players 16 nights ago, Lowry and Pascal Siakam didn’t play for the Canadians but Gary Trent was in a zone scoring 44 points. |
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04-26-21 | Suns v. Knicks +2 | 118-110 | Loss | -106 | 8 h 48 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Second of back-to-backs for the Suns against rested home pup that is just about |
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04-26-21 | Spurs -3 v. Wizards | 146-143 | Push | 0 | 7 h 20 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Second of back-to-backs for the Wizards off yesterday’s eighth straight win, in which Beal, Westbrook and Robin Lopez were all limping around (and they were still without starting forward Rui Hachimura). They trailed in the fourth quarter against Collin Sexton-less Cleveland yesterday and were able to pressure a bad ball-handling team into fourth quarter turnovers to get over the hump. They’ll have less energy to press tonight, against an opponent that won’t turn it over much anyway. In a relatively short time, Washington has leapfrogged and put air between themselves and the sorry-ass, crunch time clown Chicago Bulls to be #10, final play-in spot, in the East. They can afford a little slip-up. |
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04-26-21 | Royals v. Tigers OVER 7.5 | 3-2 | Loss | -115 | 1 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units The Royals’ Brad Keller has been having serious trouble early, failing to make it out of the second inning twice, and the fourth inning another time. He has allowed 16 hits and 16 runs in 12 inning pitched. Yow. The Tigers’ offensive woes have been at their worst against left-handed pitching. Keller is righthanded. On the opposite end of the trouble spectrum, the Tigers’ bullpen has an ERA of 6.11, WHIP of 1.59. The ERA is highest in MLB, the WHIP second-highest behind Colorado’s 1.61. |
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04-25-21 | Kings v. Warriors -7.5 | 113-117 | Loss | -108 | 12 h 32 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The guy who has led the Kings in scoring in eight of their last nine games, DeAaron Fox, is one of life’s latest victims of what is termed “healthy and safety protocols.” Won’t see him for 10-14 days. Considering how the team has lost seven of those nine games, one could say that they can lose with him, or lose without him. Warriors are too hot, Kings too cold to give serious consideration to the home dog with Fox out. However, there were Marvin Bagley III and Richaun Holmes sightings on Thursday. Both have been cleared to resume basketball activities for garbage-time action, during which they will undoubtedly excel under no pressure. Whether or not they’re ready to play tonight remains unclear. |
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04-25-21 | Bucks -6 v. Hawks | 104-111 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 5 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Mike Budenholzer’s player management patterns have made it seem like the Bucks are not interested in moving up any higher than their current #3 spot, which is a relatively safe four games in front of #4 New York. The Bucks have had ample opportunities to be a first-place team but that didn’t work for them in the playoffs last year so they’ve handled this regular season with a different |
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04-25-21 | Cavs v. Wizards -8 | 110-119 | Win | 100 | 9 h 37 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Cleveland has lost 4 of 5 with the win in this span that came against Chicago, a team that had won an emotional game over Boston 24 hours earlier. The Cavaliers make it hard on themselves as every other team in the league scores more points nightly. Washington has won 7 in a row and like the way they kept their foot on Oklahoma City’s throat on Friday winning every single quarter. The Cleveland season is over for all intents and purposes but Washington still has the post season in sight and you can bet your bottom dollar teams will not want to face this club. The Wizards are clinging to the 10th spot in the East but are only 3 games out of the 8th seed. |
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04-25-21 | Bruins v. Penguins +103 | 0-1 | Win | 103 | 6 h 36 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Bergeron missed Friday's game after he blocked a shot with his left foot/ankle on Thursday. He finished that game but was a late scratch Friday. "He'll be day to day until we hear differently," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who juggled the personnel on his top three lines with Bergeron unavailable. Without Bergeron out Friday, Boston fell behind 5-1, rallied furiously to trail by 5-4, but allowed an empty-netter in the final minute. The Penguins, who went with backup Casey DeSmith on Saturday, are likely to start No. 1 goalie Tristan Jarry today. Consider that the home team is 23-6 in the last 29 meetings between these two. |
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04-25-21 | Reds v. Cardinals -130 | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 4 h 33 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Reds have been a better hitting team at home than they have been on the road. Away, they’ve been shut out at Arizona, twice at San Francisco, and then last night in St. Louis. Ours is not to reason why. Ours is but to do… and keep doing. Good things tend to happen for the Cardinals when Jack Flaherty starts. They’ve won all four of them so far and scored 11, 7, 14 and 12 runs in doing so. As we said recently, Flaherty is a guy who’ll be laying -160 on a regular basis before long. Cincinnati starter Luis Castillo is not pitching to his reputation and past numbers, with his 6.06 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. Two starts ago in San Francisco they gave him a 4-0 lead in the first inning but it was gone, goodbye, all of it, by the time he got his first three outs. He followed up on that stinker by losing a home game to the D-Backs giving up 7 hits and 3 walks in 4 innings. |
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04-25-21 | Angels v. Astros OVER 8.5 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -100 | 1 h 56 m | Show |
Rating: 10 Units10* Total of the Month Right-hander Lance McCullers (1-1, 5.27 ERA) will start Sunday as the Astros pursue the series sweep. It will mark his first start since he allowed six runs on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings against the Detroit Tigers while battling an illness on April 14. McCullers had allowed a total of two earned runs with 13 strikeouts over his previous two starts. McCullers is 3-3 with a 3.21 ERA over 13 career starts against the Angels, posting 66 strikeouts over 70 innings. He failed to record an out in his most recent appearance against the Angels, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks in the Astros' 6-5 road loss on Sept. 4, 2020. Right-hander Dylan Bundy (0-2, 4.50) gets the start for the Angels in the series finale. He allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts over five innings in his previous appearance, a 6-4 loss to the Texas Rangers on April 19. |
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04-25-21 | Diamondbacks v. Braves OVER 6.5 | 5-0 | Loss | -121 | 3 h 33 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Pitchers: Baumgarner vs Smyly Madison Bumgarner pitched better than his typical 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R outing when the D-Backs beat the Nationals in his last start. But Washington is the least efficient offense in MLB. The Braves lineup figures to be more difficult for him. Ronald Acuna returned to it from injury Friday. Although the Braves are hitting only .182 vs. lefties, they have only 88 at-bats against them, third-fewest. A team scoring 5.88 runs per game in its home park, facing Bumgarner, should improve in the “Vs. Lefties” department today. Meanwhile, the Braves put Drew Smyly back out there after he missed a turn due to forearm inflammation. Hey, two starts is a lot for a poor guy with a one-year, $11 million contract to make without a rest! Southpaw Smyly had pitched 11 innings allowing 7 runs before this. Arizona has MLB’s best team OPS vs. lefties, .898. NOTE: DO NOT play if pitchers listed are different than actual |
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04-25-21 | Royals -112 v. Tigers | 4-0 | Win | 100 | 3 h 30 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The American League Central division’s first place team lays a short number throwing a lefty against a host that hasn’t been able to hit them. We had a winner with the Royals and Mike Minor over the Tigers on Friday and after that affair, the Tigers are still hitting only .179 vs. lefthanders with a mere 8 RBI and 2 home runs in 145 at-bats. The Royals have won the first two games of this series and if you think we’re stepping in against a desperate home team seeking to avoid being swept in a series, please be aware that the Tigers will have that opportunity tomorrow when the four-game set concludes. Michael Fulmer is a fine pitcher but as noted on Friday, he and the lousy Detroit bullpen with the 6.00+ ERA will have to out-do themselves to overcome the lack of support, should the numbers hold. Duffy is pitching well since he isn’t spending his time being found asleep in parked cars early in the morning. |
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04-25-21 | Celtics v. Hornets UNDER 212 | Top | 104-125 | Loss | -105 | 2 h 12 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit NBA Total of the Day While the Hornets have been able to score 60 and 66 points in one first half and one second half during the last week, followed up, and preceded, those halves with very sub-par halves. It’s all part of the ’16-point quarters’ that head coach James Borrego is on record as saying that he expects in the absence of some productive offensive players. They’ve slowed down the pace and have tightened up the defense to help make up for the scoring droughts. Given the way the Celtics have improved their own defense, expect a few of those scoring droughts for the home side this afternoon. |
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04-25-21 | Blue Jays v. Rays UNDER 7.5 | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 2 h 9 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit MLB Total of the Day The Blue Jays got 3 runs off Tampa’s opener Brent Honeywell, Jr. yesterday, then Ryan Yarbrough gave them 5 2/3 innings of shutout relief, followed by 2 more innings of shutout relief from the finalizers. That’s the Rays’ bullpen people have come to expect, not the one that entered yesterday’s game with an ERA greater than 5.00. Today, they’re really getting creative, starting one of the kids they got from San Diego in the Blake Snell trade, 21-year-old Luis Patino. He’s a good one and by the time they figure him out, the righthander will be outta there, perhaps after only 3 innings. After that, the plan is to bring in lefty Josh Fleming, a second-year pitcher the Blue Jays got 2 hits and 0 runs against in 14 at-bats during his rookie season. Young mystery guns. Good thing the cross-town based Blue Jays are throwing their own stingy lefty, Hyun-Jin Ryu and his 1.04 WHIP, 21-2 K-BB in 24 innings. |
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04-24-21 | Marlins v. Giants OVER 7 | Top | 5-2 | Push | 0 | 3 h 8 m | Show |
MLB Total of the Day The Over is 4-1-1 in Marlins last 6 games as a road underdog, 11-4-1 in Marlins last 16 during game 3 of a series, and 19-7-1 in Marlins last 27 Saturday games. |
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04-24-21 | Lakers +3 v. Mavs | 93-108 | Loss | -115 | 10 h 29 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Lakers’ Anthony Davis played more like late-career Hubert Davis (17 minutes, 2-for-10, 0 offensive rebounds) in his Thursday night return from a long injury absence. Obviously, next time out, against the same opponent, he can be much more effective. Dallas’ alleged “big man,” oversized, 7’3” guard Porzingis, rolled an ankle and left that win/cover early. The worm turns. |
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04-24-21 | Bulls +4.5 v. Heat | 101-106 | Loss | -104 | 10 h 0 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Home invasion situation for the Bulls, who woke up in South Beach Friday morning following Thursday’s insect-spraying of the Hornets, as the Heat was in Atlanta last night. That makes this a second of back-to-backs, road to home, for Miami in a fifth game in seven nights. Not quite the ideal situation, eh? For all the lame things the Bulls have done this season – pre-trades and post-trades – they’ve managed to be 14-6 ATS as a road underdog. They’ve won only 8 of the games straight-up, but they’ve so often at least shown up and hung around until the end. The NBA rules prevent them from partaking in the abundant night life in the great state of Florida. Confined to their hotel, they no doubt can get a tad creative to find trouble but it’s still one less serious distraction for them. |
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04-24-21 | Canadiens v. Flames -120 | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 34 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Flames (20-23-3, 43 points) claimed a 4-2 win Friday to start a three-game home set with the Canadiens, a victory that leaves Calgary six points behind Montreal in the battle for the fourth spot in the North Division. The teams also will meet Monday in Calgary for the ninth and final time this season, and the Flames, who have 10 games remaining overall, can't afford any setbacks in their head-to-head meetings if they want to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The Canadiens (20-16-9, 49 points) have lost three of their past four games and are struggling to hold on to fourth place in the North. The top four teams in each division will advance to the playoffs. The Flames have won five of seven meetings this season but know those wins won't matter much if they lose today's game. Consider that Montreal is 5-11 in the last 16 meetings in Calgary. |
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04-24-21 | Blue Jays +110 v. Rays | 3-5 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 52 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units This is a new crosstown rivalry! The Blue Jays are playing home games right across the Old Tampa Bay in Dunedin, FL, which is 35 minutes west of the Rays’ Tropicana Field. The collective fear of a nation other than the U.S. has forced their exile from Canada. They didn’t have to get on an airplane to play last night’s game, in which National League lefty refugee Steven Matz helped propel them to a win against a guy who’d been next to unhittable, Tyler Glasnow. Did driving across town, vs. packing a lot more stuff and flying 3.5 hours, have something to do with their ability to get the road W? We’ll never know for sure but it couldn’t have hurt. Tonight, they throw another one of their National League lefty refugees — they have a trio of them doing good work — against the Rays (Ray against the Rays, ha!). Tampa counters with one of their famous relief nights, opened by Brent Honeywell, Jr. It’s been a good formula for the franchise since it was instituted but the bullpen currently has an ERA of 5.21. |
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04-24-21 | Yankees v. Indians UNDER 6.5 | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 7 h 59 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Ace vs. Ace. Sub-1.00 WHIP vs. sub-1.00 WHIP. That’s where you normally get your 1-0 or 2-1 ballgames. We’ll take 3-2, too. A 6:10 pm, ET start in Cleveland puts some shadows out there as a 10th fielder against the hitters. Bieber’s only start out of four that has gone Over the Total was in Cincinnati, against the heaviest-scoring home team in what you call your Major League Baseball. Cole’s four starts are also 1-3 OU, in which 7 of the 9 the runs in the game were scored by the Yankees against lousy Orioles pitchers Kremer, Plutko, Wells and LeBlanc. Even Jay Bruce got a home run that day. He hitting was so bad otherwise that he quit the game last week. Gave it up. Walked off. |
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04-24-21 | Reds v. Cardinals OVER 8 | 0-2 | Loss | -112 | 5 h 26 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Cardinals batters who have faced him have made good contact against lefty Wade Miley of the Reds. They’re hitting .321 against him in 78 at-bats, and his K-BB against them is a mere 14-12. Nolan Arenado, Matt Carpenter, Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, Yadier Molina, all .300 or better lifetime vs. Miley and the Cardinals are tagging lefthanded pitching in general pretty well so far with an .811 OPS. St. Louis starter John Gant has a lot of hair and a lot of walks: 11 of them in 14 innings over three starts. Ya’ can’t walk that many guys and expect to win in this league! He’s been able to somehow strand a lot of guys while accruing his lousy WHIP of 1.86, which doesn’t jive with his decent ERA of 3.21. |
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04-24-21 | 76ers +7.5 v. Bucks | 94-132 | Loss | -102 | 6 h 33 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Everything went exactly right for Milwaukee in the win over Philly on Thursday. They scored 77 in the first half and as well as Robin Lopez and Bobby Portis have played this season, it’s hard to see them again go 15 for 21 from the floor right back. The Sixers were soft in the loss to this team on Thursday. The Milwaukee players got to their spots with very little resistance and that figures to change here. Look for Danny Green to be aggressive for Philly in this game after getting up just one shot on Thursday. |
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04-24-21 | Brewers +101 v. Cubs | 4-3 | Win | 101 | 4 h 60 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units For the third time this season, there’s a Peralta-Alzolay match-up. Third time could be the charm for Alzolay and the Cubs after they lost the prior two 6-3 and 4-0, away and home. They’re on a four-game win streak and have broken out of an early-season slump. But the scoreboard is reset from 15-2 last night and maybe they’re just not ready for Freddie after his two pitching lines against them totaled 11 innings of work, 3 hits, 1 run. Peralta is backed by one of the best bullpens going. Gotta draw a line through yesterday’s game when Brewers’ starter Brett (I’m on My Way Outta Baseball) Anderson failed to get out of the first inning against the Cubs, and anti-reliever Josh Lindblom entered with gas cans full, pouring them onto the fire with gleeful zeal so that by the end of the second inning, it was 10-0 Cubs. |
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04-24-21 | Royals v. Tigers +107 | 2-1 | Loss | -100 | 3 h 31 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Royals have hit well against righthanders, but they've averaged just 3.4 runs per game vs. southpaws so far, and Detroit starter Matthew comes in with a 2.03 ERA in three outings this season. KC has a tenuous grip on 1st place in the AL Central because their pitching staff is underperforming (4.53 ERA, 4th worst in the league). The Tigers are getting an underdog price with a hot lefty on the mound. |
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04-23-21 | Grizzlies v. Blazers -3 | 130-128 | Loss | -106 | 10 h 48 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units In Staples Center on Wednesday the Grizzlies hung with the Clippers for 24 minutes and then only scored 43 points in the second half to lose by a dozen points. Memphis will be tired of this team in the next few days as they match-up with Portland in 2 of the next three outings after this one. Portland got Damian Lillard back on Wednesday against Denver but Lillard didn’t shoot the ball particularly well. Portland should be pumped up for this one as they have lost 3 in a row. |
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04-23-21 | Wild -158 v. Kings | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 13 h 44 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Minnesota has gone 5-2-0 against the Kings so far this season with three wins coming in overtime. The Wild entered Thursday three points behind the Colorado Avalanche for second place in the West. Wild goalie Cam Talbot is 3-0-0 against Los Angeles this season and will likely get another opportunity to continue his hot streak, both against the Kings and overall. Talbot is 5-0-1 in his past six starts. Also consider that Los Angeles is 9-24 in their last 33 vs. a team with a winning % above .600. |
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04-23-21 | Pirates v. Twins -159 | Top | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 9 h 22 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit MLB Play of the Day OMG! Extremely unusual mishaps on and off the field that happened to the Twins while they were on the road shouldn’t happen to a dog. A mean dog. They are the ‘coldest’ team in baseball, 1-9 in their last 10 games, last place in the American League Central. But it just so happens that the opponents they’ve been losing to are the hottest teams in baseball — Oakland, 11-game winning streak; Boston, who’d been 10-1 in their last 11 after taking three of four from Minnesota; Seattle, tied for first place with Oakland in the AL West. Following a curtailed trip that was cut to four games from seven, they return home — not the most serene place in the world right now but home, nevertheless — and take a major drop in class with the Pirates as the visitor. The Twins made the post-season last year, won 60% of their games. This is like a stakes horse that was shipped out of town but could never get the feel of the track and was thrown off its routine when asked to run against a fellow stakes horses on its own home track (Oakland), returning to its home course matched against an out of town allowance horse. The Twins’ bats have been weak vs. lefties but the Pirates didn’t get the memo and will start JT Brubaker, as his teammates who have faced JA Happ try to figure out why they are hitting a combined .131 against him in 83 at-bats. |
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04-23-21 | Cavs v. Hornets -1.5 | 102-108 | Win | 100 | 8 h 50 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Cleveland would need a minor miracle to reach the post season. They have only won 9 of 30 games on the road this season. Charlotte still has to attempt to secure the 6th seed in the East and they are within a few games of getting to the 5 slot. They lost to Cleveland 9 nights ago but they were playing 24 hours after facing the Lakers. |
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04-23-21 | Cavs v. Hornets UNDER 211 | Top | 102-108 | Win | 100 | 8 h 33 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit NBA Total of the Day Unrealistic for the Cavaliers to up and duplicate what they did against the Bulls the other night — scored 121 points. They average only 104.1 ppg, fewest in the NBA. They won 103-90 in Charlotte nine days ago. Opponents are onto the Hornets in the absence of key offensive players Gordon Hayward, LaMelo Ball and Malik Monk. The latter isn’t really a consistent offensive threat, anyway. Head coach James Borrego is actually expecting these weak-butt 16 point quarters. The other day he said something like, ‘I have to find something for when we have those 16-point quarters…” Hey, guess what? After you have the 16-point quarter, it’s too late to find anything and you probably don’t have it, anyway. Since scoring only 90 in the loss vs. Cleveland, the Hornets have scored only 97 and 91 in defeats at New York and Chicago. |
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04-23-21 | Heat -5 v. Hawks | Top | 103-118 | Loss | -111 | 8 h 30 m | Show |
Rating: 4 UnitNBA Play of the Day Atlanta lost to the Knicks in overtime on Wednesday while Miami stepped on the Spurs in Texas. Trae Young is out for this game and Clint Capela is iffy. This is a big game for both clubs. Teams cannot not blow games at this juncture of the season with only a handful of opportunities left. Atlanta beat this club in March but Miami had excuses. The Heat had the lead after three quarter and then they could only muster 14 points in the last 12 minutes. Jimmy Butler did not dress for that game. |
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04-23-21 | Royals -106 v. Tigers | 6-2 | Win | 100 | 8 h 19 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Royals are atop the American League Central and have arrived for a four-game road series against a perennial loser they beat six times in 10 games last season. There’s a long way to go and they probably won’t last, but they’re set up to at least sustain what they’ve got going for another night in this day-to-day world. Mike Minor seems like a major asset to leverage against the host Tigers, who are ahead of only the Mets in average runs scored per game (3.37). Minor is a crafty, 33-year-old lefthander throwing at a lineup that is currently batting a Major League-low .174 against lefties with 1 home run and 6 RBIs in 121 at-bats. Although Minor has been around the block more than a few times, the current group of Tigers has only 24 at-bats against him with results that mirror their struggles against southpaws so far in 2021: a mere 3 hits, all singles, and 11 Ks vs. 1 walk. Detroit’s Casey Mize, and the bullpen behind him with the highest ERA and WHIP in MLB (6.64, 1.67), would really have to out-do themselves to overcome the lack of support if the Tigers’ offensive numbers hold. |
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04-23-21 | Nationals v. Mets UNDER 7 | 0-6 | Win | 100 | 8 h 17 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Mets are making us look smart by playing to their weak Hits per Run ratio of 2.33, failing to move runners around two nights in a row at Wrigley Field. Who do they come home to play against? The team with the only offense worse than them in that particular category (Nationals: 1 run scored for every 2.38 hits). Given that Jacob Degrom is pitching for the Mets, Washington figures for a only a few hits in the first place. He is pretty much who he is, coming out of a quality start in Coors Field (few can do that) after throwing 14 innings with 8 hits and 1 run allowed against Miami and Philadelphia. |
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04-23-21 | A's v. Orioles OVER 9 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -115 | 6 h 26 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit MLB Total of the Day Athletics’ left-hander Corey Irvin and Orioles’ right-hander Jorge Lopez aren’t headed for Cooperstown unless angels from above start guiding their every move. Irvin just pitched shutout ball over 6 innings in Detroit, a team that can’t hit left-handed pitching (worst average in what you call your Major League Baseball against lefties, .174). Today, the task is harder in a smaller ballpark against the Orioles’ lineup, not an All-Star collection of offensive talent but clearly better than Detroit’s, overall and against lefties. For his part, Lopez must pitch to the hottest team in baseball, lineup that has contributed to a current 11-game winning streak and is averaging better than 6 runs per game on the road. After getting 7 hits in their first 15 at-bats against Lopez with only 1 strikeout, the Oakland batters were probably thinking, ‘Can’t wait to face this guy again!’ |
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04-22-21 | Angels v. Astros OVER 8.5 | Top | 2-8 | Win | 100 | 3 h 45 m | Show |
Rating: 5 Unit MLB Total of the Day Right-hander Alex Cobb (1-0, 4.63 ERA) will start for the Angels today after having his previous start pushed back due to unspecified reasons. Cobb was initially slated to start on Sunday but that game was postponed after the Minnesota Twins had COVID-19 issues. Cobb last started on April 12, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a 10-3 road win over the Kansas City Royals. He is 1-2 with a 7.63 ERA over three career starts against the Astros, whom he last faced on July 31, 2017, while with the Rays. Consider that the over is 19-8-1 in Angels last 28 games as an underdog. |
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04-22-21 | Mets v. Cubs +102 | 3-4 | Win | 102 | 8 h 12 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Mets have dropped the first two games of this series and to help them avoid being swept, they start a Padres reject the Cubs have hit for a .447 Batting Average Against. In only 26 at-bats against Joey Lucchesi, Chicago batters have done a heck of a lot of damage: 15 hits (including 5 doubles, 2 home runs), 8 RBI. Yesterday we noted how the Mets have been extremely inefficient on offense, with MLB’s second lowest Hits per Run ratio of 2.34 hits for every 1 run scored. They went out and got 10 hits, 4 runs, which is 2.5 hits for every run scored. True to form! We’re not making it up here, ya’ know? Trevor Williams has made three starts for the Cubs. They sandwiched 13-4 and 5-3 wins vs. Atlanta and Milwaukee in which he totaled 11 innings, 6 hits and 3 runs allowed, in between a lousy start in Pittsburgh, against the Pirates team he abandoned after last season. Pittsburgh made their former teammate of five seasons pay for his disloyalty. It happens. As it should. Well, to be fair, the Pirates wanted to send him to Triple-A in November but he opted for free agency instead. |
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04-22-21 | Stars -180 v. Red Wings | 3-7 | Loss | -180 | 10 h 21 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Dallas Stars are peaking at an ideal time, and they'll try to keep their late-season surge going when they visit the Detroit Red Wings today. The Stars are unbeaten (6-0-2) in regulation play over their last eight games, and a victory today would give Dallas a season-high five-game winning streak. The last four of those wins came as part of a 4-0-1 homestand that concluded with back-to-back wins over Detroit. The Stars won a 3-2 shootout on Monday before earning two more points in a 5-2 victory over the Red Wings on Tuesday. As a result, the Stars' postseason chances have been revived. Dallas (19-14-12, 50 points) now sits just outside the four playoff positions in Central Division, sandwiched between the fourth-place Nashville Predators and the sixth-place Chicago Blackhawks. The Stars are 5-1-0 against the Red Wings this season. |
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04-22-21 | Pelicans -8.5 v. Magic | Top | 135-100 | Win | 100 | 8 h 31 m | Show |
NBA Play of the Day Orlando has lost 10 of 11, most recently scoring 24 points in every quarter, the wrong type of consistency. The Magic played way too much one-on-one basketball and only had 13 assists. The Pelicans have lost four straight, three of them at the wire. Orlando is an opponent that usually isn’t around at that point. Naji Marshall is a New Orleans bright spot coming out of that defeat. The New Jersey product was 6 for 15 from the floor, with 6 boards, 7 assists and a pair of thefts vs. Brooklyn. The Pelicans lost to the Magic earlier this month in overtime but there were reasons. New Orleans blew a fourth-quarter lead in that game and they turned it over 24 times. On top of those incidents, Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson never got into the game. |
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04-22-21 | Yankees v. Indians -109 | 6-3 | Loss | -109 | 7 h 33 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Indians right-hander Aaron Civale (3-0, 2.18 ERA) looks to continue his winning ways when he gets the nod today. He allowed one run on five hits in six innings of a 4-2 victory over the White Sox on April 15. Civale will be opposed by Yankees right-hander Domingo German (0-2, 9.00 ERA), who will take the mound for his first start since April 10. He was optioned to the alternate training site after the contest. German, 28, sports an 0-2 record with a 5.63 ERA in three career starts versus Cleveland. |
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04-22-21 | Diamondbacks v. Reds OVER 8.5 | 14-11 | Win | 100 | 1 h 4 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Neither of today’s starters qualifies as being close to an ace, you’d have to say. Each started against the other lineup in the teams’ series at Arizona recently. The Reds’ Hoffman threw 82 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, giving up 6 hits, 3 walks, 3 runs. The bullpen came in and did a Hoffman impersonation, allowing 5 runs in 3 2/3 innings. Arizona’s Taylor Widener has pitched shutout ball in 6-inning starts at Washington and San Diego, two lineups that are having serious problems scoring runs against anyone. in between, the Reds got 7 hits, 4 runs in 5 innings against him. The Reds’ 9 runs per game home offense was never going to continue to be that high, but they still lead MLB with 7.45 runs per home game. |
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04-21-21 | Grizzlies +2 v. Clippers | 105-117 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 60 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units For as successful as the Clippers have been this season, they are in the bottom half of the league in assists. When they lost to Memphis in February L.A. played horrible perimeter defense allowing the Grizzlies to shoot 58% from beyond the arc. Memphis had won three of 4 before facing Denver in the Mile High on Monday. In that game the Grizzlies had Denver just where they wanted team but eventually fell in double overtime in an instant classic. It could be a true learning moment for Memphis as they were up a dozen points with nearly 4 minutes to play. The emphasis will be on playing the entire game. Memphis will not be intimidated here. |
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04-21-21 | Wild -150 v. Coyotes | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 10 h 3 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Wild (28-13-3, 59 points), who play tonight against the host Arizona Coyotes (20-21-5, 45 points), have won four consecutive games to build a sizable lead over the teams -- Arizona and St. Louis -- battling for fourth place in the West Division. The Wild won the opener of the two-game series against the Coyotes 5-2 Monday as Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist and Cam Talbot stopped 22 shots. The Coyotes are 1-6-0 against Minnesota heading into today's game, the last between the teams in the regular season. |
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04-21-21 | Jazz -11 v. Rockets | 112-89 | Win | 100 | 7 h 57 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Houston has won 3 times since March 27. Two of the wins came against teams that have won 33 games combined this season. One thing stood out in the Houston loss to Miami on Monday and that was that Christian Wood and Kelly Olynyk, who were on the floor for 64 minutes combined, had 0 assists between them. This should be a good stretch for Utah. They have Minnesota (twice) and Sacramento waiting in the wings to face the Jazz. Utah has won 3 of 4 and in the loss during that span vs. the Lakers, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell didn’t play. |
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04-21-21 | Hawks v. Knicks OVER 218 | Top | 127-137 | Win | 100 | 7 h 52 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit NBA Total of the Day The Hawks’ rotation is loaded with good-percentage three-point shooters around center Clint Capela, who should own his match-up against the Knicks’ Nerlens Noel if he can stay out of foul trouble. Good offensive players such as Bogdan Bodanovich, Lou Williams for Atlanta, and Derrick Rose of New York, have not played in either one, or both, of the meetings between the Hawks and Knicks so far, which ended with 221 points in January, 235 points in February. By our math, those numbers are larger than tonight’s total of 217.5. |
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04-21-21 | Mets v. Cubs +116 | 4-16 | Win | 116 | 8 h 57 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units There aren’t many teams scoring less than the Cubs. But there is one! It’s the Mets, at 3.17 runs per game the lowest-scoring team in MLB (vs. 3.38 runs per game for Chicago). They got only 1 run here last night against Jake Arrieta and relievers, face another crafty righty tonight in Zach Davies. The Mets are challenging the Nationals for worst Hits per Run ratio at 2.34 hits for every run scored. The Cubs haven’t been getting many hits, but they’ve needed 1.72 of them to score a run, a more efficient number than the Mets, for sure. Mets’ lefty David Peterson looked great at home against the Phillies seven days ago but let’s see how he does in chilly Wrigley Field as a still-young lefty against a lineup due for much better. |
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04-21-21 | Thunder v. Pacers -9 | 116-122 | Loss | -108 | 6 h 55 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units When a kid can’t hit the ball, you have the pitcher move up and soft-toss it underhanded. Tonight’s match-up is the NBA equivalent to that improvement-enabling tactic, as a 9-17 SU home team meets a visitor that’s 11-18 SU on the road and enters on an 11-game los-ing streak. In most of their recent defeats, the "player development" Blunder, er, Thun-der, has lost contact on the scoreboard. Desperate, blind squirrel bumps into nut. |
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04-21-21 | Suns v. 76ers +1 | 116-113 | Loss | -105 | 6 h 54 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Suns were coming off a stinker, a season-low offensive game in a home loss to the Spurs, when they – as we expected – rebounded to beat Milwaukee in Milwaukee the other night. In their very next game, they meet the 76ers as Philly exits their own home-court stinker vs. Golden State. The Sixers shot 39.3% for the game. At Phoenix earlier this sea-son, they shot 52.1%... and lost as the Suns shot 60.8%. More power to the Suns if they can shoot like that again |
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04-21-21 | Astros v. Rockies OVER 10 | 3-6 | Loss | -112 | 3 h 24 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Astros recently had four guys out on account of fear, including Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez. They returned last night. Unfortunately for them, they ran into the Jon Gray buzz saw. Today’s Rockies starter is a step down from that and unfortunately for him, Austin Gomber throws left-handed. The Astros are hitting .301 vs. left-handed pitching, #2 in MLB behind the White Sox’ .302. They have 239 at-bats against lefties, second-most in MLB, making it as valid a sample size as it can be. Astros starter Jose Urquidy hasn’t pitched much in Coors Field — to only 6 batters, one of them a pitcher. |
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04-21-21 | Giants +109 v. Phillies | 5-6 | Loss | -100 | 1 h 25 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Phillies who have faced him are hitting only .163 against Giants’ righthander Anthony DeSclafani, with just 1 home run in 68 at-bats. DeSclafani has made three strong starts to begin his tenure with the Giants: 6, 6, 5 innings, allowing a total of only 2 runs, 16-4 K-BB. Good Zach Eflin has showed up in two of his three starts so far but bad Zach Eflin is always lurking. Giants batters are hitting .321 against Eflin with an OPS of .930. |