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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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07-09-18 | Tigers v. Rays -179 | Top | 9-10 | Win | 100 | 17 h 2 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Detroit Tigers. You might have thought back at the start of the season that a mid-summer game between the Tigers and Rays would be a match-up between two of the worst teams in the Majors. And no one would have blamed you for thinking that, as expectations were as low for these two as any teams around. But, in fact, both the Rays and Tigers are third-place clubs right now -- far from the bottom of the barrel in MLB. That's a much more impressive statement for Tampa than it is Detroit, as the Rays are in a much tougher division. With their blow-out win over the Mets Sunday, the Rays are now a game over .500. More good news could be in store for Tampa as Chris Archer comes off the DL for his first start in over a month. The veteran RHP was pitching well, allowing just three ER in his last four starts covering 23 2/3 innings, before going out with an abdominal strain. LHP Francisco Liriano gets the start for Detroit and he is 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in his last three. The Tigers are also 69-118 (minus 39 games on the moneyline) vs. righties. Take the Rays. |
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07-09-18 | Reds v. Indians -163 | Top | 7-5 | Loss | -163 | 17 h 2 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Cincinnati Reds. The Indians were on a roll, having won four straight road games by a combined 33-12 before coming home and taking the first game of their series with the A's on Friday by a 10-4 tally. But then Cleveland lost the last two games of that series, including Sunday's awful 6-0 shutout. Now the Reds come to town for a three-game inter-league set with Mike Clevinger kicking things off on the mound for the home team. Clevinger has had a very successful follow-up to his strong sophomore season, going 7-3 with a 3.11 ERA coming into his 18th start tonight. He's had some time off as he hasn't started since July 1 in Oakland, where he went six innings in a win over the A's. In 12 career starts with six or more days of rest between outings, the 27-year-old is 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA. RH Anthony DeSclafani takes the hill for Cincy. In his last start, DeSclafani kept the White Sox hitless for the first three innings before getting hammered for three home runs over the next three frames. The Reds are 5-16 in the last 21 meetings here. Take the Tribe. |
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07-08-18 | Rockies v. Mariners -134 | Top | 4-6 | Win | 100 | 14 h 16 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Colorado Rockies. Anotonio Senzatela came out of nowhere last year go go 7-1 with a 3.19 ERA over his first 10 starts. It wasn't even Memorial Day yet and people were starting to talk about the 22-year-old as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate. But from June on, things got pretty rough for the native Venezuelan and before you know it, he was in the bullpen and finished the season with a 10-5 record and a 4.68 ERA. Senzatela didn't get a start after August 28, but an injury to Chad Bettis has put him back in the rotation -- at least for now. Speaking of coming from nowhere, Wade LeBlanc was a 33-year old journeyman who had been relegated mostly to mop-up duty with Pittsburgh and Seattle the last three seasons. But the southpaw got one more chance to show what he can do in the rotation this season and he's made the most of it, going 4-0 with a 2.89 ERA in his 12 starts (he also has five relief appearances). All four of those wins were also here at home where he has a 2.45 ERA in nine games (seven starts). And LeBlanc's teams have won seven straight at home in his starts when facing an opponent with a winning record. Take Seattle. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-08-18 | A's v. Indians -189 | Top | 6-0 | Loss | -189 | 11 h 16 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Oakland Athletics. Rookie RHP Shane Bieber will close out the series for the Tribe. He got off to a bumpy start against the Royals last Tuesday, but ended up throwing six solid frames and picked up the fourth win of his career. And the Indians are now a perfect 5-0 in his five starts this season. Heading into Sunday, the A's are 2-7 in their last nine tries here at Progressive Field. And Oakland is a poor 16-41 as a road underdog priced from +150 to +200. Meanwhile, Cleveland is a super 26-12 as a home favorite. Take the Tribe. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-07-18 | Padres v. Diamondbacks -190 | Top | 5-20 | Win | 100 | 9 h 27 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Diego Padres. The Diamondbacks' Robbie Ray made his return from the DL on June 27 very successfully with six shutout innings in Miami. In his next start however, the veteran southpaw stumbled out of the gate and allowed four runs in the top of the first inning to the Cards. But Ray settled down after that and had four straight scoreless frames but still took the loss in a 6-3 game. He looks to bounce back and shake off the first-inning rust back at home tonight against the Padres, a team he's had much success against recently. In his last five starts vs. San Diego, the D-Backs are 5-0 and Ray has allowed more than two runs in just one of those outings. For his career, Ray has a 3.93 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in nine starts vs. the Pads with 72 strikeouts in just under 53 innings. RHP Tyson Ross goes to the hill for San Diego trying to rebound from his worst start of the season when he allowed seven runs on seven hits in five innings with no strikeouts at home against the Pirates. The D-Backs are 21-8 in Ray's last 29 starts. Take Arizona. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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07-07-18 | Rays -127 v. Mets | Top | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 3 h 27 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the New York Mets. The Rays knew they probably had something special with their first round pick of 2011 when LHP Blake Snell won the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year award in 2015. Snell would make his MLB debut the following year at age 23 and it was an uneventful campaign in 2016 and in 2017 for that matter. But everything seems to be falling into place this season for Snell. He is one of the hottest starters in the game right now and will likely be named to his first All Star team in a little over a week. Snell is 11-4 with a 2.24 ERA and 1.01 WHIP and he sports the lowest hit rate in the League (5.7 per nine IP). Start number 19 will come this afternoon at pitcher-friendly CitiField against a bad Mets team that is even worse when it faces lefty pitchers. The Mets are the worst-hitting team vs. southpaws with a .217 team average and .634 OPS. That should be easy pickings for Snell and his nasty arsenal of pitches. In his last three starts, Snell is 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. This will be his first start vs. the Mets. Take Tampa. |
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07-07-18 | Cardinals -108 v. Giants | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 14 h 1 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Francisco Giants. When Jeff Samardzija stepped to the mound for his first start of 2018, things looked very promising. Indeed, a five-inning scoreless outing in an 8-1 victory over the Angels in Anaheim made it seem like the hard-throwing veteran RHP might be leaving his disastrous 2017 behind. But that turned out the be the first and last victory of the season so far for Samardzija as he has battled soreness in his throwing shoulder throughout the entire first half and eventually needed a long stay on the disabled list to get healthy. Just exactly how healthy Samardzija is right now remains to be seen, but it's hard to imagine he will be anything close to 100% especially considering how lackluster his rehab numbers in the Minors have been. Going for the Cards on the road will be RHP Carlos Martinez. Martinez has looked a lot like his pre-injury self with quality starts in his last two games, giving up two runs in each game with 15 total strikeouts. The Giants are 10-27 in Samardzija's last 37 starts vs. teams with a winning record. Take the Cards. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-07-18 | Phillies v. Pirates -125 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -125 | 3 h 23 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over Philadelphia. The Buccos were blown out last night, 17-5, by Philly. But I love the Bucs to avenge that defeat and win this afternoon vs. their cross-state rival. Pittsburgh is 6-2 this season after allowing 10+ runs, while the Phillies are a poor 26-38 after winning by 4+ runs. Also, the Phillies are 38-59 (minus 12 games on the moneyline) when priced as a road underdog of +150 or less. And their starter, Jake Arrieta, has also struggled on the road this season (2-4, 5.05 ERA, 1.54 WHIP). Finally, Pittsburgh is a super 59-26 at home in the month of July. Take the Bucs. |
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07-07-18 | Croatia v. Russia UNDER 2 | Top | 1-1 | Push | 0 | 59 h 37 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Russia/Croatia 'under' the total of 2 goals. Both of these sides advanced to the quarterfinals after winning via a shootout. Croatia bested Denmark after that match remained deadlocked at a 1-1 score after 120 minutes. Likewise, Russia defeated Spain to shock the 2010 World Cup champions after that match was deadlocked at 1-1 after extra time. I expect Russia to likely again park the bus in back and do everything it can to take its chances with penalty kicks. Russia survived Spain by controlling possession for 75% of that match while tallying 25 total shots. The Bears have size, and they worked hard to prevent La Roja from scoring a winning goal on Sunday. They also have an experienced quality keeper in Igor Akinfeev, who leads all remaining goalies in the World Cup with 14 saves. But Russia has scored only one goal in their last two matches. For Croatia, it looked like it was destined for a high-scoring affair with Denmark on Sunday when they broke a World Cup record for the fastest match to reach a 1-1 score after just four minutes. But neither team could score for the next 116 combined minutes which led to that shootout finale. The Blazers have only allowed two goals in their four World Cup matches -- after giving up only four goals in their 10 qualification matches -- so it will be very hard for the Russians to get much offense going when they are so focused on playing defense. Take the under. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-06-18 | Rangers v. Tigers -105 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 18 h 40 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Detroit Tigers over the Texas Rangers. When the Tigers signed RHP Jordan Zimmermann to a contract in late 2015, they thought they were getting a pitcher who was capable of what he'd done the previous four seasons in DC. Between 2012-2015, Zimmermann won a total of 58 games while posting an ERA right around three runs. What they seem to have gotten instead is a shell of that pitcher. In his first two seasons here, Zimmermann won a total of 17 games and posted an ERA around five runs. And 2018 started out much the same way as the former Nats ace won just one game and logged a 7.91 ERA in his first five starts. But since then, Zimm has very quietly bounced back and looked much more like he did when he wore that red Nats uniform. Through his last five starts covering 29 innings, Zimmermann has allowed just four earned runs on 17 hits with 23 strikeouts and five walks. Those are ace-like numbers and now the 32-year-old needs to figure out what he's done differently and keep doing it. The Tigers are 4-1 in Zimm's last 5 starts vs. losing teams, and Zimmermann's teams are 25-10 in his starts if he didn't give up 2+ runs in either of his two previous starts. Meanwhile, Bartolo Colon has a lifetime ERA of 5.10 vs. Detroit (in 29 starts). And he has also given up 19 earned runs in his last four road starts (8.84 ERA). Take Detroit. MLB ROADKILL WINNER. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-06-18 | France v. Uruguay +0.5 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -106 | 31 h 56 m | Show |
At 10:00 am, on Friday, our selection is on Uruguay plus 0.5 goals vs. France, at -106 odds. France earned a big win last wekend when it defeated Argentina and eliminated Lionel Messi from this World Cup with a 4-3 victory. However, it may be difficult for the French to maintain that high level of focus when facing a lesser-ranked South American team in the Uruguayans. Additionally, Les Bleus showed vulnerabilities against a struggling Argentina side. France only controlled possession for 41% of that match. Concerns regarding their young talent on their defensive back line remain after they allowed three goals to Messi & Co., which doubled the goal count for Argentina in this World Cup. On the offensive side, France's final two goals were scored in spectacular fashion by its 19-year-old phenom Kylian Mbappe. But Uruguay will not make the same mistakes that Argentina made that allowed the speedster to exploit them in counter-attacks. La Celeste has won all four of its matches, including a 2-1 victory over a Portugal team which defeated the French in Paris two years ago in the 2016 Euro Finals. Uruguay prioritizes defensive tactics while being led by an outstanding duo in Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, who play together for Atletico Madrid. Tellingly, La Celeste has allowed just one goal in its four games in this tournament. It's true that Uruguay will be without Edinson Cavani, who scored two spectacular goals against Portugal before succumbing to a hamstring injury. But it still has its top striker in Luis Suarez who did take part in training this week after also suffering a knock. With an elite defense, and Suarez leading its counter-attack, Uruguay still has what it takes to pull the upset or extend this match to extra time after 90 regulation minutes. Take Uruguay plus the +0.5 goal. WORLD CUP GAME OF THE WEEK! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-05-18 | Cardinals v. Giants -133 | Top | 11-2 | Loss | -133 | 20 h 49 m | Show |
At 10:15 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the St. Louis Cardinals. This last stretch before the All Star Break could be the most critical of the season for the San Francisco Giants as they sit just 3.5 games back in the NL West. They will be getting two veteran starters back from the DL marking the first time that Madison Bumgarner (already back for a month), Jeff Samardzija (about to come back) and Johnny Cueto will be healthy together on the roster this season. Tonight it will be Cueto making his first start back in almost two months from an ailing elbow. The RH was lights-out in his five starts before the injury, going 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 0.69 WHIP -- among the best numbers in MLB for April. Opposite Cueto will be RHP Luke Weaver who will try to rebound from a disastrous start against the Braves last time when they put up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings against him. Weaver has now allowed five or more runs in 5 1/3 innings or less in four of his last five starts. The Giants are 7-1 in Cueto's last eight starts and 21-8 in their last 29 home games vs. RH starters. Take San Francisco. |
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07-05-18 | Angels +124 v. Mariners | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 36 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Seattle. Marco Gonzales will face off against Jaime Barria tonight in Seattle. We'll fade Gonzales, who has a 5.06 ERA over his last three starts. Even worse: he's struggled in his career vs. the Angels, as he's given up 10 earned runs in 19 1-3 innings, over four starts, for an ERA of 4.66, and a WHIP of 1.55. Take the Angels. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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07-05-18 | Marlins v. Nationals -167 | Top | 12-14 | Win | 100 | 17 h 38 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Miami Marlins. The Nationals are in the biggest funk of their season so far right now. The team that almost everyone took for granted as winning the NL East every year is just 2-9 in its last 11 games overall. Thus, the players had a team meeting after yesterday's loss to discuss what they can do to have a much better second half. Of course, it must be noted that the last six games were against the Phillies (away) and Red Sox. So, if ever there was a prescription for getting over the current malaise, perhaps it's a four-game home series against the Marlins. To say that the Nationals have dominated their recent meetings with the Fish would be quite the understatement. Washington has won 11 straight against Miami going back to August 9 of last season. Included in that streak is six straight Nats victories in Miami and five straight here in DC. RHP Pablo Lopez earned the win in his MLB debut last Saturday, but that was against the Mets. The 22 year old rookie will likely have a much tougher time of it tonight against the Nats and RHP Jeremy Hellickson. The Marlins are 16-42 in the last 58 trips to Washington. Take the Nationals. |
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07-04-18 | Twins -107 v. Brewers | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -107 | 13 h 12 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over Milwaukee. Jose Berrios will get the start for the Twins in this afternoon game. And he has a 3.86 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in his seven daytime starts this season. In contrast, Milwaukee's Chase Anderson is 0-4 in his seven daytime starts, with a 5.55 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Anderson's also been much worse at home (5.29 ERA) than on the road this season, and has an ERA north of seven runs (7.20) in his career vs. the Twins. Take Minnesota. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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07-04-18 | Angels +103 v. Mariners | Top | 7-4 | Win | 103 | 13 h 11 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Seattle. Garrett Richards will get the start this afternoon for Anaheim, and will face the Mariners' Mike Leake. Richards has faced Seattle twice this season. His last start vs. the Mariners was on June 13 (and was also his last start before going on the disabled list). Richards lasted just two innings before his left hamstring tightened up. But Richards dominated the Mariners in a 5-0 shutout win back on May 4 (also here in Seattle), when he gave up just four hits over 6 2/3 innings. And he has a strong 3.42 ERA in 14 starts this season, and has not given up more than 3 earned runs in any of his last eight starts. Take Anaheim. Good luck, as always....Al McMordie. |
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07-03-18 | Angels +101 v. Mariners | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 19 h 21 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Seattle. The Mariners come into this game off a 1-0 win vs. Kansas City (their seventh straight win, overall). But we'll fade the Mariners at home this evening, as they've gone a poor 49-67 at home (minus 36 games on the moneyline) off a shutout win. Take Anaheim. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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07-03-18 | Cardinals v. Diamondbacks -135 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 19 h 52 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over St. Louis. Zack Greinke's teams have have unparalleled success as favorites at home in his starts, as they've gone 114-42, + 50 games on the moneyline, including 58-24 when priced from -125 to -175. Greinke also comes into this game red-hot, with three straight wins, and two straight scoreless starts. Take Arizona. |
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07-03-18 | Astros -168 v. Rangers | Top | 5-3 | Win | 100 | 17 h 16 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Texas Rangers. Less than three years after winning the AL Cy Young, Houston LHP Dallas Keuchel is almost an afterthought on this staff. There are two reason for that. First, since he won top pitching honors, the Stros have added Justin Verlander, Charlie Morton, and Gerrit Cole to the rotation. Second -- and perhaps more important in this case -- is the fact that Keuchel's numbers simply haven't been what they were when he took home the hardware at the end of the 2015 season. He's certainly not having a Cy Young campaign now and will not make the All Star team either. But one thing about the 2018 version of Keuchel is that he's been much more effective on the road. In eight starts at Minute Maid Park, the veteran is 1-4 with a 4.96 ERA while in nine starts elsewhere he is 3-4 and 3.54. In his last five starts at Globe Life Park going back to last June, the Rangers are 4-1 including Keuchel's last effort here which they won 8-7 despite his giving up five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. The 'Stros are also 15-3 in their last 18 here in Arlington, TX. Take Houston. |
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07-03-18 | Braves v. Yankees -185 | Top | 5-8 | Win | 100 | 16 h 32 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over Atlanta. The Braves won in extra innings last night, 5-3, but I love the Yankees to bounce back tonight. The Yankees are an awesome 88-44 (+23 games on the moneyline) in nighttime games at home. And they're 12-2 at home this season off a loss, including a perfect 8-0 in this situation since May 12. Finally, New York is 28-12 this season vs. winning ball clubs (+13 games on the moneyline). Take New York. MLB Elite Info Winner. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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07-03-18 | England -0.25 v. Colombia | Top | 1-1 | Loss | -62.5 | 12 h 0 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on England minus the -0.5 goal vs. Colombia. This is a very favorable match-up for the Three Lions since Colombia plays a direct style and will attempt to push the pace. But England is at its best when counterattacking opponents that prioritize possession of the ball. Colombia clinched a spot in the knockout stage with a 1-0 victory over Senegal on Thursday but that win came at a significant cost. Its 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner, James Rodriguez, left that match after 31 minutes with an injury to his right leg. This is a different injury than the left calf injury which kept him from starting in its opening match loss to Japan. While tests on Saturday indicated that Rodriguez only has swelling and did not suffer a muscle tear in his right leg, he remains in doubt to play. Manager Jose Pekerman told the media he is “extremely concerned” about Rodriguez’s status. But even if Rodriguez can take the pitch, his effectiveness has to be questioned at this point with both legs hampered. Los Cafeteros reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup but that including a fortunate draw in the first elimination match where they played Uruguay who was without Luis Suarez (suspended for biting). Colombia has developed a reputation defeating lesser opponents while failing to achieve good results against the better teams in the world. In its qualifying matches, it lost to Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina twice. Even worse for Colombia: England will be quite fresh for this challenge after manager Gareth Southgate rested eight of his regular starters on Thursday in a meaningless 1-0 loss to Belgium. The Three Lions' Harry Kane has scored five times already in two matches, and England also leads all teams in this tournament with six goals from set pieces. Lay the 0.5 goals with England. World Cup Soccer High Roller Winner! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-02-18 | Cardinals v. Diamondbacks -141 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -141 | 19 h 1 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the St. Louis Cardinals. We're at the half-way point of the season, and the Diamondbacks -- perhaps somewhat surprisingly -- have a 2 1/2 game lead in the NL West. It remains to be seen whether Arizona has a team that can compete with the Cubs, Braves, or Nationals, but for now the D-Backs have to be considered a legitimate post-season contender. And the fact that they had such a successful first half largely without one of their best starters has to make the D-Backs feel that much better about their chances going forward. LHP Robbie Ray had six starts in March/April but then went on the DL with an oblique injury. Tonight will be Ray's second outing back from that injury. Ray was outstanding against the Marlins in his first start back as he tossed six shutout innings allowing just two hits in the process. He will look to build on that against the Cards and RHP Carlos Martinez. Martinez is a talented starter, but he's struggled lately, allowing 17 runs (15 earned) in 18 2/3 innings over his last four starts. Take Arizona. |
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07-02-18 | White Sox v. Reds -175 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 17 h 31 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cincinnati Reds over the Chicago White Sox. Cincy was a team which many thought would be one of the bottom two or three in the league, but has been a bit of a surprise. We're mid-way through the season, and the Reds are playing some very good ball. And with their win on Sunday over the Brewers they have now won seven of their last 10 to pull within a half-dozen games of .500. The White Sox are another story completely, pretty much living up to the low expectations people had for them in April. They will send James Shields to the mound tonight for his 18th start of the season (Shields also has a relief appearance). The veteran RH has struggled on the road this year for the Sox, with an ERA approaching 6 runs per game. Shields is also 0-2 in his career against the Reds, and is 1-4 in six games away from home in 2018. Meanwhile, the Reds have been dynamite at home lately, going 9-2 in their last 11 here at Great American Ball Park. Take Cincy. |
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07-02-18 | Red Sox v. Nationals -163 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -163 | 16 h 26 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over Boston. Boston is 56-29 this season. But it's struggling against the better pitchers, and destroying all others. Indeed, after losing last night, 11-1, to New York, Boston is now 21-23 (minus 13 games on the moneyline) vs. pitchers that don't give up more than 5.5 hits per start, but is 35-6 (+27 games on the moneyline) vs. all other starters! Max Scherzer gives up just 4.17 hits per start. Take the Nationals. Good luck, as always....Al McMordie. |
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07-01-18 | Red Sox v. Yankees -174 | Top | 1-11 | Win | 100 | 17 h 33 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox. The best rivalry in the Majors is extra-special this season with the Red Sox and Yankees having perhaps their best teams -- at least offense-wise -- of the past decade. Neither team has a rotation which is considered among the league's best, but each team does feature one ace who is worth of Cy Young consideration. For the Yankees, that ace is Luis Severino. The 24-year-old RH leads the league with 12 wins, is second with a 2.10 ERA and has struck out 132 batters in just under 112 innings. He goes for his league-leading 18th start tonight in what we can safely say is his biggest appearance so far. And it's on National TV, to boot. Severino has two starts in 2018 against the Yankees already and in the one at Boston he was hammered pretty good. But the last one was here in the Bronx, on May 8, and he allowed just two runs on six hits with 11 Ks and no walks in a 3-2 Yankees victory. Severino has been dynamite at home this season, going 7-0 with a 1.83 ERA in nine starts here. Even better: New York is 87-42 (+25 games on the moneyline) at night in Yankee Stadium, and it's won Severino's last 15 home starts! Take the Yanks. MLB Division Game of the Week. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-01-18 | Denmark v. Croatia -0.5 | Top | 1-1 | Loss | -130 | 11 h 7 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on Croatia minus 0.5 goals vs. Denmark. Croatia has been one of the most impressive teams in the World Cup by winning all three of its matches in a group many observers believed to be the most challenging. Argentina was widely considered one of the top five teams in the world. Iceland had come off a Quarterfinals appearance in the 2016 Euro which included a victory over England and a draw with the eventual champion in Portugal. And Nigeria had a roster many considered to be more talented than the group which made the knockout stage in the 2014 World Cup. Yet Croatia outscored those three teams by a 7 to 1 margin in its three victories. Its 2-1 victory over Iceland on Tuesday was its narrowest win, but manager Zlatko Dalic did make nine changes for that match to rest some of his key players. Talent has never been the question for this national team; instead, stability and team cohesion have been the obstacles for Croatia since making the Semifinals in the 1998 World Cup. Its opponent this afternoon -- Denmark -- rates as a solid, if unspectacular squad. The Danish Dynamite finished in second place in its group with a win over Peru, and draws against Australia and France (which just knocked out Argentina, yesterday). But its 0-0 draw with Les Bleus on Tuesday needs to be taken with a grain of salt since France rested six of its key starters. Lay the 0.5 goals with Croatia. Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-30-18 | Nationals v. Phillies -103 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 52 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals. The Nats hit what has to be considered their low point of the season earlier this week when they lost three straight games -- two to the Rays, and then one to the Phillies on Thursday -- by a combined score of 16-3. They responded in a big way on Friday night, in Game 2 of this 4-game series at Citizens Bank Park, by blasting the Phils with 17 runs in a 17-7 beat-down. The Phils will send RHP Vince Velasquez to the mound in Game 3 of this series this evening. Since being tagged for 10 runs on June 8, Velasquez has posted a solid 3.79 ERA in 19 innings over his next three starts. Velasquez has big swing-and-miss stuff with a strikeout rate of almost 11 per nine innings, and allowed just two runs over six innings vs. the Yankees his last time out. In his only other start against the Nats this season, Velasquez allowed just one run on one hit in five innings in a 3-1 victory on May 5. The Nats are also just 9-15 in the month of June. Take the Phils. |
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06-30-18 | Mets -198 v. Marlins | Top | 2-5 | Loss | -198 | 12 h 56 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Miami Marlins. Mets RH starter Jacob deGrom was supposed to start on Friday, but was scratched to allow him to tend to a family matter. But he'll be back with the team this afternoon. Through the season's first three months, deGrom has had the toughest of luck. Despite a league-leading 1.69 ERA through his first 14 starts, deGrom's record is just 4-2 and he literally couldn't buy a victory for an entire month (May 18 - June 17) despite keeping that ERA right around 1 1/2 runs. He broke through on June 18 when his team finally scored some runs in bunches for him in a 12-2 win over the Rockies. However, he took the loss in his last start, 5-3, despite another quality outing against the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw. deGrom and the Mets look to get back on the winning track today in South Florida in the second of a three-game set against the Marlins. He won here in his second start of the season, an 8-6 victory on April 10, then threw a gem against the Fish at home on May 23 but took a no-decision. The good news for the Mets is that they are 21-7 in deGrom's last 28 road starts vs. teams with a losing record. Take New York. |
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06-30-18 | Mets v. Marlins UNDER 7.5 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 56 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Mets/Marlins game. deGrom has gone 'under' the total in nine of his last 12 starts, which isn't surprising, given that he leads the league with a 1.69 ERA. The Mets have also gone 'under' in 17 of 27 games off back to back losses, and 14 of 23 daytime games. Take the Mets and Marlins to go 'under' in this afternoon game. |
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06-30-18 | Portugal v. Uruguay | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 20 h 50 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Uruguay Pk'em (on the goal-line) vs. Portugal, at -111 odds (at the time of this writing). There will not be a lack of superstars on the pitch in this battle. Portugal is led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who is perhaps the best player in the world right now after leading Real Madrid to three straight Champions League titles. Ronaldo also led the Selecao to the 2016 Euro championship. But Portugal was fortunate to achieve those results considering that it was the semifinals before they finally won a match in regulation time. These concerns have not abated this summer for this aging group which lacks complementary star talent to Ronaldo. The Selecao needed every bit of his superpowers with his hat-trick helping them eke out a 3-3 draw with Spain. Portugal was then unconvincing in a 1-0 win over Morocco before it struggled against Iran to hold on to a 1-1 draw. With its 1-1-1 record and just a +1 goal differential, those results pale in comparison to Uruguay's +5 goal differential along with its perfect 3-0 mark. La Celeste played its best match of the tournament on Monday when it crushed Russia by a 3-0 score. That match demonstrated the balance Uruguay has on the pitch with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani each scoring goals. Indeed, both forwards have registered goals in each of the last three World Cups. However, what makes this team so dangerous is its ability to play lock-down defense. Led by perhaps the best center back duo in the world in Atletico Madrid's Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, Uruguay has not allowed a goal yet in this tournament. And it has allowed just six shots on target in its three matches. Ronaldo is always a threat but he will have his hands full with La Celeste. Take Uruguay as a Pk'em on the goal-line. World Cup Soccer Elite Info Winner! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-29-18 | Giants v. Diamondbacks -150 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -150 | 4 h 60 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Francisco Giants. After getting off to a Cy Young-type start in April (4-0 with a 1.89 ERA in his first four starts), LHP Patrick Corbin came back down to earth a bit in May and early June. The Diamondbacks' southpaw only won one more start between April 22 and the end of May. And by June 16 he'd seen his ERA rise by more than 1 1/2 runs to 3.48. But Corbin looked like his old self in his last start against the Pirates. He had his nasty slider working like it was in April and threw seven shutout innings. He also allowed only three hits and no walks, and struck out 12. He'll look to keep that form again tonight, back at home against the Giants in his 17th start. In his last five starts against the Giants, Corbin has allowed just seven runs in 33 2/3 innings. And in his last two against them here at Chase Field, Arizona hasn't allowed a run (1-0 and 11-0). That 1-0 victory was Corbin's only complete game of the season back on April 17, a one-hitter. Finally, the Giants are 2-9 in their last 11 meetings in Arizona. Take the D-Backs. MLB High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-28-18 | Cubs v. Dodgers -175 | Top | 11-5 | Loss | -175 | 13 h 35 m | Show |
At 3:10 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Chicago Cubs. If the Dodgers are going to win the NL West the formula is pretty simple: they will need a healthy Clayton Kershaw the rest of the way. Kershaw's back problems flared up again at the end of May and he missed most of the month of June. The only good news is that the MRI showed no structural damage so surgery is not needed -- at least not at this time. When he returned last week, he had to face one of the best in the NL in Jacob deGrom. And LA was able to able to come out victorious, notwithstanding the fact that Kershaw didn't have his best stuff and was limited in his pitch count. The veteran LHP should be given a longer leash this afternoon. Also, Kershaw has historically done his best work in afternoon games as he is 42-13 (.764) with a 2.36 ERA in 89 starts during the day. He draws another tough customer today in LHP Jose Quintana although he crushed him in his last start vs. the Cubs in last year's post-season, 11-1. Finally, the Cubs are 3-12 in their last 15 road games vs. a left-handed starter. Take the Dodgers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-28-18 | Belgium v. England UNDER 2.5 | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 11 h 23 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Thursday, our selection is on England/Belgium 'under' 2.5 goals. England and Belgium face off in this final Group Stage match having both clinched spots in the knockout stage. The winner of this match will earn first place in Group G. It might be tempting to expect this showdown to be a high-scoring affair considering that both teams have scored eight goals in their first two matches. However, contests that seem to promise high-scoring affairs on paper often end up being lower scoring in practice, since both teams will be more attentive to the defensive end of things. Moreover, both of these teams have allowed only two goals in this tournament -- with backlines and keepers that star for their respective English Premier League squads. Finally, the biggest reason to favor the under is that much of the offensive firepower of both these teams will likely not be on the pitch. There's certainly a benefit to be gained from resting such star players as Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku, given that the value of winning this match is possibly less than their health going forward. Also, some players, like Lukaku and Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard, suffered injuries in their last match, which just makes the decision to rest them that much easier. And then there are other players -- like the Red Devils' Kevin DeBruyne -- who will likely be given this match off so they avoid picking up a second yellow card, which would trigger a suspension in the next game. Take the under. WORLD CUP TOTAL OF THE MONTH. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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06-27-18 | Padres v. Rangers -132 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 17 h 14 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Texas Rangers over the San Diego Padres. LHP Mike Minor was out of the Majors for two seasons after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum in April of 2015. He signed a contract at the beginning of 2016 with the Royals but didn't throw a pitch that season. He made a successful comeback as a reliever in 2017, posting a 2.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances with KC. The Rangers then gave Minor a very generous three-year, $28M contract last December. As expected, Minor's return to being a full-time starter got off to a slow start as he went 4-4 with a 5.76 ERA through May. But June has finally seen some positive results. And although the ERA is still a bit high (5.05), one has to like Minor's 65 Ks and 19 BBs in just over 78 innings. I've seen enough improvement in the once-highly-touted prospect to like his chances tonight against a very weak Padres offense. The Rangers are playing their best ball of 2018 right now, going 8-2 in their last 10 heading into tonight, while the Pads have done the opposite (2-8 in their last 10). Finally, the Rangers are a super 76-49 (+18 games on the moneyline) when favored by -150 or less. Take Texas. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-27-18 | Costa Rica v. Switzerland -0.5 | Top | 2-2 | Loss | -145 | 36 h 50 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Wednesday, our selection is on Switzerland minus 0.5 goals vs. Costa Rica. Switzerland needs just a draw in its third match in group stage play to advance to the knockout stage. But a victory could be even better as it might put them in position to win first place in Group E which would give them a better seed in the next round. Nati Swiss received very good news Monday afternoon when FIFA declined to suspend two of its players, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, for making possible political gestures after they both scored goals in the 2-1 victory over Serbia last Thursday. Switzerland is unbeaten in its last eight matches, as this team is playing with both confidence and cohesion. On Wednesday, they'll face a Costa Rica team which has been eliminated from reaching the knockout stage after it lost by a 2-0 score to Brazil. That was a heartbreaking loss for Los Ticos as they allowed two goals in the stoppage time at the end of the game, which spoiled what was looking like an impressive 0-0 draw with the FIFA's #1-ranked team. This will be the final match in World Cup play for a golden generation of Costa Rican players which led the team to the quarterfinals in 2014. However, this is also an aging team which has yet to score in this tournament. They managed only four shots (with none on target) vs. Brazil while only controlling possession in 34% of that match. Los Ticos has also failed to win its last four matches against European teams in the World Cup, with three of those ending in losses. Costa Rica will no doubt want to play the role of spoiler but too many of its key players are past their prime. Lay the 0.5 goals with Switzerland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-26-18 | Indians -166 v. Cardinals | Top | 2-11 | Loss | -166 | 20 h 53 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the St. Louis Cardinals. Indians RHP Corey Kluber won his second AL Cy Young award last season with the best numbers of his career. This included 18 wins, a 2.25 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, 7.36 K:BB ratio, and five complete games. How does the 32-year-old top a season like that? Well, take a look at his numbers at roughly the half-way point and you'll see how. Kluber has 11 wins, a 2.10 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and a league-leading (and ridiculous) 9.42 K:BB ratio. Were it not for a guy named Verlander over in Houston, Kluber would be a runaway winner for his second-straight (third overall) Cy Young. He's that good and shows no sign of slowing down. Tonight, Kluber will go for win number 12 in an inter-league match-up against the Cards. The bad news for St. Louis is that if Kluber comes even close to doing what he did in his only other start vs. the Cards, it's going to be a very steep hill to climb. Kluber's 18 strikeouts in an eight-inning, 2-0 victory on May 13, 2015 ties him for the third-most K's in a game in MLB history. Take Cleveland. Interleague Game of the Week. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-26-18 | Croatia v. Iceland +0.5 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -130 | 35 h 29 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on Iceland +0.5 goals vs. Croatia, at -135 odds. The Croatian national team has already qualified for the knockout stage as it won its second straight match in this World Cup with its 3-0 win over Argentina on Thursday. Even with a loss to the Viking Boys, the Vatreni are all but assured to be the top seed from Group D given its +5 goal differential (it also defeated Nigeria 2-0 in its first match). Thus, it would take Nigeria crushing Argentina (or Croatia getting blown out by Iceland) to threaten this dominant edge in the goal differential tie-breaker if both teams end with six points apiece. Because of this, manager Zlatko Dalic may choose to rest some of his key players (or substitute them out early in the match) with matters likely in hand. At the very least, Croatia will be satisfied with a draw since that would clinch first place along with the preferred seeding in the round of 16. In contrast, Iceland needs the three points that come with a victory to keep its knockout stage dream alive after it lost to Nigeria by a 2-0 score on Friday. The Viking Boys may have suffered a letdown in that match with the Super Eagles after they pulled off a 1-1 draw with Argentina in their opening contest. Certainly, this Iceland side has proven it can compete with the best teams in the world, as it drew 1-1 with Portugal, and then bested England, 2-1, two years ago in the first knockout round of the 2016 Euro. Don't be surprised if it is now Croatia which cannot resist a letdown in intensity after its rewarding result against Lionel Messi's Argentina team. This will also be the most organized defensive team which Croatia has encountered in this tournament. Take Iceland plus the +0.5 goal. SOCCER GAME OF THE WEEK. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-25-18 | A's v. Tigers -114 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -114 | 12 h 21 m | Show |
At 3:10 pm, on Monday AFTERNOON, our selection is on the Detroit Tigers over the Oakland Athletics. When it comes to Jordan Zimmermann's 2018 season, it's a case of a glass being half full and/or half empty. On the half-empty side of the discussion is the fact that Zimmermann has a 4.95 ERA and has been hampered by a shoulder injury virtually all season. On the half-full side is the fact that the veteran RH is undefeated at 2-0 and has a 4.00 K:BB ratio with 36 punch-outs and only six walks in 36 1/3 innings coming into this afternoon's start. Another positive for Zimmermann going into start number nine is the fact that in two of his last three starts he has not allowed a run, resulting in a 1.59 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in his last three trips to the hill. His last start here at home was against the Rays and in that one, Zimmermann blanked Tampa over seven innings surrendering just two hits in the process. Zimm has a 3.93 ERA in three starts here at Comerica Park, while the Tigers are 4-1 in Zimmermann's last five starts. Take Detroit. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-25-18 | Morocco v. Spain -1.5 | Top | 2-2 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 28 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Monday, our selection is on Spain minus 1.5 goals (at Even odds) vs. Morocco. The Moroccans find themselves already eliminated in this World Cup after their 1-0 loss to Portugal last Tuesday. The Atlas Lions have had scoring opportunities but now they risk becoming the first team since both Honduras and Algeria in the 2010 World Cup to fail to score at least one goal in the entire tournament. With only pride at stake now, manager Herve Renard will likely loosen things up to help create more scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, this may play right into the hands of Spain. La Roja thrives when engaging a team that does not simply park the bus in the back. That is what an organized and well-coached Iran team did on Tuesday and it almost worked as La Roja escaped with just a 1-0 victory. Unfortunately for Iran, Spain broke through nine minutes into the second half when Diego Costa scored his third goal in this tournament. The good news for the 2010 World Cup champions is Costa is thriving within its tiki-taka short-passing game system that failed to succeed in a disastrous 2014 World Cup. La Roja scored three times against the reigning Euro champions (Portugal) in its opening match and would have taken the win if not for the magnificent hat trick from Cristiano Ronaldo. Importantly, Spain needs a victory to ensure it stays ahead of Iran to advance to the kncokout stage. Moreover, La Roja remains unbeaten in its last 22 matches going back to 2016 Euro. They scored 36 goals while allowing only three in their 10 qualification matches so a win by at least two goals is very much in play. Spain will have its foot on the gas pedal in this match while playing an opponent which will also likely be willing to engage in an aggressive style. Lay the -1.5 goals with Spain. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-24-18 | Orioles v. Braves -170 | Top | 3-7 | Win | 100 | 14 h 28 m | Show |
At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are going for the unlikeliest of sweeps, in an inter-league road series against a very good NL team in the Braves. But for the clinching game, instead of one of their regular rotation members, the O's will be going with spot starter, rookie RH David Hess, who is 2-3 with a 4.82 ERA in seven starts in his debut season. Hess was knocked around for the second straight outing last Tuesday and was not able to make it out of the fifth inning. Home runs have plagued the right-hander, who has given up nine round-trippers this season already. That could be a problem today against a team that has already hit 87 long-balls in 74 games. With rookie Mike Soroka on the disabled list, veteran RH Brandon McCarthy returns to the Atlanta rotation to make his first start since June 15. Similar to Hess, McCarthy has a 4.89 ERA on the season, but he has a winning record at 5-3 thanks to some generous run support from the Braves lineup. The Orioles have not swept a road series of three or more games all season (0 for 11), and they're 12-37 as an underdog this season. Take the Braves. MLB Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-24-18 | Panama v. England -1.5 | Top | 1-6 | Win | 100 | 58 h 7 m | Show |
At 8:00 am, on Sunday, our selection is on England minus 2.0 goals, at +134 odds vs. Panama. It has been 28 years since England made the semifinals of the 1990 World Cup. However, England demonstrated perseverance and grit in its 2-1 win over Tunisia on Monday. The Three Lions of the past would have probably left that match with a demoralizing 1-1 draw against an inferior squad. These Three Lions, though, have a new generation of exciting talent led by Harry Kane whose winning header in stoppage time secured the victory. His heroics should help the Three Lions play with confidence in this second match against Panama. The Canal Men played a nice first-half against Belgium on Monday but were overwhelmed in the final 45 minutes in a 3-0 loss. The Red Devils' tactics in that second half should offer a blueprint to England's manager Gareth Southgate as to how to create space against Panama's physicality. Interestingly, Panama is the CONCACAF team which took the USA's expected World Cup spot. But this team could only manage a quarterfinals appearance in last summer's Gold Cup which included B-teams for Mexico and Costa Rica, as they rested players for this summer. The Canal Men later qualified for this tournament last fall on a fateful night where they scored a phantom goal against Costa Rica while, simultaneously, the USA suffered an embarrassing loss to lowly Trinidad and Tobago. Even worse: Panama limped into this tournament with just one victory in five friendlies (while scoring only one goal in those matches). Their 6-0 loss to Switzerland in late March, along with a 5-0 loss to Argentina and a 4-2 loss to Chile in the 2016 Copa American suggests that their poor second half against Belgium is the form we should expect to see here vs. the Three Lions. Lay the 2.0 goals with England. HIGH ROLLER WINNER. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-23-18 | Mariners v. Red Sox UNDER 9 | Top | 7-2 | Push | 0 | 17 h 59 m | Show |
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners 'under' the total. When the Red Sox traded reliever Andrew Miller to the Orioles at the deadline in 2014 for Eduardo Rodriguez, hardly anyone outside of the two cities really noticed. And if they did, it was because Miller was considered one of the top set-up men and potential closers in the Majors. But almost nobody gave a second thought to the 21-year-old southpaw dealt to Boston who had yet to appear in an MLB game. Miller turned out to be nothing more than a two-month rental for Baltimore, while Rodriguez made his big league debut the next season. But now it looks like the O's traded yet another star pitcher in the making and got virtually nothing in return. Now 25, Rodriguez is breaking out in a big way this season. After winning 10 games combined the last two seasons, the Venezuelan southpaw is 9-1 with a 3.59 ERA and 10.4 strikeout rate through his first 14 starts of 2018. He's also gone 'under' the total in 37 of 57 starts. Take the Under. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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06-23-18 | Yankees -151 v. Rays | Top | 0-4 | Loss | -151 | 14 h 53 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees are said to be interested in a starting pitcher or two, specifically JA Happ and Cole Hamels, and when you look at the numbers of some of their current rotation members, you can understand why. Exhibit number one is RH Sonny Gray, who the Yanks acquired from the A's at the deadline last season in hopes that he would be one of the anchors of their rotation at least through his current contract which ends this season. Instead however, Gray has struggled, going 4-7 after he joined NY in 2017 and posting a 5-4 record with a 4.89 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 14 starts this season. Gray has not performed like the Yanks had hoped, that's obvious. But with his team doing so well and an offense that is capable of winning on any given night, Gray can still turn things around. Perhaps a start in St. Pete where he has had plenty of success will help him kick-start his season. In four starts here, Gray is 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA in just under 25 innings. New York is also 5-1 in Gray's last six starts vs. losing teams, and 7-0 their last seven off a loss. With New York in off a 2-1 defeat last night, we'll take the Yanks. |
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06-23-18 | Padres v. Giants -159 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 14 h 48 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the San Diego Padres. With a 2-4 record and 4.70 ERA in 11 starts, San Francisco's LH rookie Andrew Suarez's numbers may not jump off the page at you. But in addition to those statistics, Suarez has also struck out 57 batters and walked just 12 in 59 1/3 innings, and there are plenty of veterans in the league that would love to have that type of K:BB ratio (4.75). He has a great chance to improve on his numbers this afternoon for two reasons. First, Suarez has really enjoys pitching at his home park. The first-year starter has a 3.41 ERA in five starts at AT&T Park compared with a 6.18 ERA in six road starts. Second, is the fact that he is a southpaw. San Diego has struggled all season against lefties, hitting just .228 with a .681 OPS vs. them. Suarez will be be looking for his third straight quality start at home after blanking the Phillies over seven innings on June 2, and then allowing two runs in 6 1/3 innings against the Marlins last Monday. Heading into Saturday, the Giants are 10-3 in their last 13 games here at AT&T Park. Take San Francisco. |
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06-23-18 | Sweden v. Germany -200 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 40 h 8 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Germany on the moneyline vs. Sweden. Germany became the third straight reigning World Cup champion to lose its opening match with its 1-0 loss to Mexico on Sunday. Italy and Spain also lost their first match as defending champions in 2010 and 2014. It's true that both of those national teams failed to advance into the knockout stage, but Die Mannschaft’s prospects remain quite good to still make a deep run in this Tourney. One thing to remember is that Mexico is loaded with talent and was widely considered the likely favorite to join the Germans to represent Group F in the knockout rounds. Germany won the Confederations Cup last summer with a B-team roster which included a 4-1 victory over a similarly-constructed Mexico team in those quarterfinals. Thus, El Tri was highly motivated with revenge plus very prepared to counterattack the Germans' possession tactics. Germany will no doubt be razor-focused in this second match, since it cannot afford another disappointing performance. This German team still oozes with quality at all three levels of the pitch. They will be looking to defeat a Sweden side with one less day of rest and preparation following its 1-0 win on Monday over South Korea. That was not a surprising result despite Sweden moving on from the Zlatan Ibrahimovic era after he led the team for a decade. Sweden had plenty of scoring chances but only scored via a penalty kick which raises concern that its roster lacks a reliable scoring threat without Ibrahimovic. The Blue and Yellow also did not score a goal in any of its final three warm-up friendlies for this tournament. It's hard for me to believe Sweden will be able to stay with an angry and motivated German side. Take Germany on the moneyline. WORLD CUP GAME OF THE WEEK. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-22-18 | Orioles v. Braves -195 | Top | 10-7 | Loss | -195 | 22 h 54 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Baltimore Orioles. These two teams haven't played a series since 2015. To say that the Braves and Orioles have done a bit of role-reversal from then to now would be accurate. The O's went from being the darlings of the AL East to one of the worst teams in baseball, while the Braves have done the opposite in the NL. So you can forget about the fact that the O's swept that last series almost three years ago or the fact that they've won five straight over the Braves going back to 2012. This is a re-tooled Atlanta ballclub, with a new Park to boot. And one of the bright young stars of the rotation will go to the mound as 25-year-old LH Sean Newcomb gets his 15th start of the season. In his second MLB season, Newcomb is 8-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. The O's have struggled mightily against southpaws, and they also won't have the benefit of the DH in this series. They are just 4-15 in their last 19 inter-league games, and a poor 2-10 in RH Alex Cobb's starts this season. Take Atlanta. MOUND MISMATCH MASSACRE! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-22-18 | Nigeria v. Iceland | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -102 | 24 h 56 m | Show |
At 11:00 am, on Friday, our selection is on Iceland PK'em (on the goal-line), vs. Nigeria, with the current odds being (roughly) -107. Iceland continued to play the role of Cinderella on the big stage of major international competitions by earning a 1-1 draw last Saturday against Argentina. Representing a nation of 300,000 people, the Viking Boys are the smallest country to ever play in the World Cup. But manager Heimar Hallgrimsson's team should have already proven that this result was no fluke. They reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 Euro with a 2-1 win over England in the first knockout round after earning a 1-1 draw with the eventual winner in Portugal in their opening match. Iceland scored in every match in that Euro and they continued that trend in this tournament by quickly leveling the score four minutes after an Argentina team -- generally considered as one of the top five national teams in the world -- scored first in the 19th minute. Iceland is a counterattacking side that sets traps after emphasizing a primary focus on defensive tactics. Nigeria will likely play right into their hands after they lost their opening match on Saturday in a 2-0 loss to Croatia. The Super Eagles lacked attacking spark throughout that match and now find themselves in a must-win situation as they are in last place in Group D. We had Croatia in that match on Saturday as our World Cup Soccer Game of the Week, and I noted my concern over Nigeria's inexperienced 19-year-old keeper in Francis Uzoho, who seemed to be given the starting job due to a loss of confidence in the incumbent starter. Uzoho allowed a frustrating own-goal in the first-half before giving up a penalty kick in the second half but those difficult circumstances do not remove his lack of seasoning in these high-pressure contests. Iceland the momentum, confidence and outstanding team cohesion. Take Iceland as a pk'em, on the goal-line. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-21-18 | Croatia +0.5 v. Argentina | Top | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 14 h 53 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Thursday, our selection is on Croatia plus the +0.5 goal vs. Argentina. Lionel Messi disappointed the Argentine faithful on Saturday when he missed a penalty kick which ultimately made the difference between earning three points (with a victory) and a single point (with their 1-1 draw with Iceland). It was a frustrating result for La Albiceleste considering that the advantage of having this generation's best player in the world was not enough to defeat a national team which represents only 300,000 people. Argentina is ranked 5th in the world by FIFA, but owns an aging roster, and had uninspiring results in its qualifying matches. Certainly, the team looks to be past its prime, as Messi once led a golden generation of talent but the younger crop of talent does not appear to be nearly as promising. These concerns have only heightened after the Iceland match, and they'll now have to take on a tough foe in Croatia. The Vatreni will not feel inferior to Argentina when it comes to talent on the pitch. Led by Messi's teammate at Barcelona in Ivan Rakitic along with Real Madrid's Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic, they boast one of the best collection of midfielders in the world. Team cohesion has been the biggest issue when these stars enlist with the national team but this group gained confidence and chemistry with a 2-0 victory over Nigeria on Saturday. With Argentina's surprising draw, the Vatreni are on the fast track to advance to the knockout stage from this group. Croatia would be happy with a draw but have more than enough skill to win this match outright. Take Croatia plus the +0.5 goal. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-20-18 | Mariners v. Yankees -185 | Top | 5-7 | Win | 100 | 15 h 38 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Seattle Mariners. The Yankees will hand the ball to Jonathan Loaisiga tonight. They're already calling him "Johnny Lasagna" in the Bronx, even though he's from Nicaragua, and not Italy. Loaisiga only has one Major League start to his credit, but he did little wrong in those five scoreless innings last week vs. Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old rookie goes for start number two tonight at home against a Mariners club whose starter -- RHP Felix Hernandez -- has 389 more MLB starts than he does. That likely won't matter as the Bronx faithful will be 100% behind their young pitcher, even though his days in the rotation may be numbered (the Yanks are rumored to be interested in a number of veteran arms on the trading block). Admittedly, Seattle's King Felix has some pretty strong numbers at Yankee Stadium, but he hasn't pitched there since April 2016. And he's also not the dominant performer he used to be -- far from it, in fact. Heading into tonight's game, the M's are 2-8 in the last 10 meetings. And the Yankees are now 85-42 (+23 games on the moneyline) at home in nighttime games. Take New York. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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06-20-18 | Iran v. Spain +1.5 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 10 h 31 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Wednesday, our selection is on Spain over Iran. While Spain's 3-3 result against Portugal on Friday left La Roja with a bad taste in their mouths, it actually dominated much of that match after falling behind 1-0. Indeed, it looked like Spain was going to win by a 3-2 score before Cristiano Ronaldo scored on a perfectly executed free kick in the 88th minute. Despite the failure to secure the 3 points with a win, there were a number of encouraging developments for La Roja. First, their tiki-taka tactics allowed them to hold possession for 61% of the match against the reigning European champions. And, second, Striker Diego Costa scored twice and seemed very comfortable operating within their short and continual passing scheme. That's important, as one of the biggest questions the Spanish had entering the World Cup was whether Costa would thrive in this system. Certainly, La Roja needs to clean up its defensive play but it has an appropriate foil in Iran, which surely is feeling very good about itself after its 1-0 win over Morocco last week. For much of that game, it looked like Team Melli was going to end up with a draw. But a corner kick resulted in an own-goal by the Moroccans to give Iran the surprising upset victory in the extra stoppage time. Yet Team Melli was outplayed in most of that match as they controlled possession for just 36% of the game. I look for a blowout today, as Spain scored 36 goals while it allowed only three in its 10 qualification matches for the World Cup. Meanwhile, Iran's win vs. Morocco was just its second victory ever in a World Cup, and it's scored just one goal in its last four matches dating back to 2014. Take Spain. Elite Info Play. As always, good luck....Al McMordie. |
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06-19-18 | Egypt +0.5 v. Russia | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -122 | 35 h 45 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on Egypt plus the +0.5 goal over Russia. The host nation Russia was impressive in the opening match of the World Cup by crushing Saudi Arabia by a 5-0 score. We had the Bears and were rewarded by that offensive onslaught. However, let's not overreact to one good performance since this result may say more about how bad Saudi Arabia is. Moreover, the Russian team limped into this tournament with just one win in their last eight friendlies. While we do not want to read too much into exhibition matches, the Bears were disastrous in the 2016 Euro before failing to advance to the knockout stage as the host nation in last summer's Confederation Cup. Even worse: midfielder Alan Dzagoev just suffered a leg injury which will likely keep him out of this match. Egypt -- like Russia -- played a great game to kick off their tournament. The Pharaohs allowed just one goal in their match vs. Uruguay in the 89th minute to walk away with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss. But not all is lost for this team as its superstar striker, Mohamed Salah, looks to take the pitch on Tuesday with it being a little after three weeks since he suffered a leg injury in the Champions League finals. Salah scored 44 goals in 52 matches for Liverpool, and will be the best player on the pitch while offering another jolt of confidence to the Egyptian players who managed quite well without him on Friday. The Pharaohs are desperate to gain the three points that come from a win while Russia could be content to park the bus in the back and grind out a draw which will give them another point (while maintaining a favorable goal differential for tie-breakers). Take Egypt plus the +0.5 goal. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-19-18 | Dodgers -125 v. Cubs | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 2 h 43 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, in Game 1 of the Double Header, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Chicago Cubs. With Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Walker Buehler on the DL right now, the Dodgers' starting pitching is a mess. Which is why they sure need the services of a healthy Kenta Maeda. The veteran Japanese RH was pulled from his start at the end of May with what was diagnosed as a right hip strain. Fortunately for the Dodgers, this injury -- unlike some of the others to the SPs mentioned -- was not serious and Maeda was activated two weeks later and then pitched very well against the Rangers. He showed no signs of that injured hip but was limited to five innings and 76 pitches. The Dodgers should expect more from him this afternoon and they likely will get it. They can also expect success in this series as the Dodgers have dominated the Cubs in recent meetings. In their last eight games against each other, L.A. has won seven and has out-scored Chicago in those eight by 46-12. Not only have the Dodgers found success recently despite all the pitching injuries, but they are 9-1 in their last 10 road games. Take L.A. Mound Mismatch Massacre! Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-18-18 | England -222 v. Tunisia | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 34 h 28 m | Show |
At 2 pm, on Monday, our selection is on England on the moneyline vs. Tunisia. England has been perennial disappointments in international tournaments. Its last semifinals appearance in the World Cup was 28 years ago in 1990. In the previous World Cup, it failed to advance out of the knockout stage. The Three Lions were then improbable upset victims to tiny Iceland in the Round of 16 in the 2016 Euro. With this dismal history, they enter this World Cup with low expectations. However, this roster of elite English Premier League talent remains quite good, and this team benefits from having its youngest roster in years. Manager Gareth Southgate has installed an aggressive system which mimics the high-pressing schemes of Manchester City, Tottenham, and Liverpool. Southgate has tapped 11 players from those three squads to form the core of his roster led by the Spurs' Harry Kane who scored 30 goals last year. England was unbeaten in its 10 qualification matches while scoring 10 goals and allowing only three to validate Southgate's choice of a 3-5-2 formation. The Three Lions should overwhelm an overmatched Tunisia side which has the misfortune of being without its best player in midfielder Youssef Msakni. The Eagles of Carthage's best scoring threat tore ligaments in his knee which will keep him out of the World Cup. That leaves the Tunisian attack woefully inadequate after scoring only 11 times even with Msakni when qualifying for this World Cup in the easiest of the five African qualifying groups. Tunisia limps into this event also with a host of injuries and questions of form beyond the devastating loss of Msakni. I feel that England just has too many top-shelf scoring talents for Tunisia to keep pace. Take England on the moneyline. Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-17-18 | Switzerland v. Brazil -225 | Top | 1-1 | Loss | -225 | 35 h 41 m | Show |
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. |
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06-17-18 | Marlins v. Orioles -169 | Top | 4-10 | Win | 100 | 10 h 12 m | Show |
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. |
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06-16-18 | Red Sox -110 v. Mariners | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -110 | 17 h 54 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Seattle Mariners. Veteran knuckle-ball specialist Steven Wright had quite a breakout in 2016, winning 13 games for the Red Sox and getting his first recognition as an MLB All Star. Last year however, was a lost season for Wright as his numbers took a major hit, just like a lot of his pitches did. In just 24 innings in 2017, opposing batters registered 40 base knocks and Wright's ERA skyrocketed as a result. Now back in the Boston rotation, Wright is back to his 2016 form and his knuckle-ball is harder to hit than ever. In just under 30 innings, the 33-year-old has only allowed 15 hits so far and he has blanked opponents for 22 2/3 consecutive innings, the longest active streak in the Majors. He shut down the Orioles for 6 2/3 innings in his start last Monday, which the Red Sox won in 12 innings. Now he will start a game in Safeco Field for only the second time in his career. It's a place that should treat him and his almost uncatchable pitches well. Boston is 13-3 in its last 16 on the road with a line of -100 to -150. Take the Red Sox. MLB Road Warrior. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-16-18 | Nigeria v. Croatia -133 | Top | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 36 h 26 m | Show |
At 3 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Croatia on the money line vs. Nigeria. Croatia takes a backseat to no other national team when it comes to the talent. The Vatreni are led by their captain Luka Modric, who has been the anchor for Real Madrid, which just completed its third straight Champions League title. He is joined by his club-mate, Mateo Kovacic, along with Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic and a rising star in Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic to form one of the best midfield units in this World Cup. Croatia suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in overtime in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Euro to Portugal, which went on to win that championship. But it proved its mettle earlier in that tournament with a deserved 2-1 win over Spain. The leaders of this team have a sense of urgency since it is likely their last opportunity to replicate their national team's semifinal result in the 1998 World Cup. It's true that Nigeria is a worthy opponent with a core of stars from the English Premier League. However, players like Arsenal's Alex Iwobi and Chelsea's Mikel John Obi are not asked (or are not deemed capable) to take on the responsibilities that manager Gerndt Rohr needs from them. The Super Eagles also have serious issues with their goalkeeping after Rohr benched Ikechekwe Ezenwe in their final two friendlies. 19-year-old Francis Uzoho was between the posts for those last two warm-ups earlier this month that resulted in a 1-0 loss to Czechoslovakia and a 2-1 loss to England. Uzoho has limited experience for his La Liga team making this is a tremendous challenge for the youngster. With Argentina and dangerous Iceland rounding out Group D, a good result is very important to both these competitors. I believe Croatia's talent and experience will confer the edge to earn the win. Take Croatia on the money line. World Cup Game of the Week. As always, good luck…Al McMordie. |
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06-15-18 | Reds v. Pirates -145 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 17 h 34 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Cincinnati Reds. Look up "average Major League starter" in the dictionary and you're likely to see a picture of the Pirates' Chad Kuhl. The RH has been in the league three seasons and after 58 starts, his record -- as well as that of his team when he starts -- is just a tick below .500 while his ERA hovers right around four runs. He hasn't gotten support from his lineup lately as the Pirates have lost Kuhl’s last three starts despite a 3.12 ERA. His last win came more than a month ago, but he’s been arguably the Bucs’ most consistent starter of late and he has a 2.45 ERA in two starts vs. the Reds this year. Cincy will go with RH Matt Harvey. Harvey was hurt by the long ball in his last start as three of the four hits he allowed left the park. Hoping to resurrect his career in Cincinnati, it hasn't happened as Harvey is 1-2 with a 5.04 ERA in six starts since joining the Reds. The Pirates are in a great position to make things up to Kuhl, as they are 6-1 in his last seven home starts vs. teams with a losing record. Take Pittsburgh. |
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06-15-18 | Marlins v. Orioles -143 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -143 | 17 h 34 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles over the Miami Marlins. It's been a very, very rough first half for the Orioles -- one of the worst in their modern history. The O's come into this weekend series with the worst record in all of the Majors, and the only team not having won 20 games yet. Perhaps a visit from one of the other worst teams in the league will jump start Baltimore a little bit. The Marlins haven't visited Camden Yards since 2010, and granted this is a much different team than that one -- but one that is severely depleted from what they were only a year ago. RHP Kevin Gausman will go to the mound for the O's for the 14th time this season. After showing flashes of brilliance in late April/early May, Gausman has really struggled in his last five starts, going 0-3 while seeing his ERA rise from 3.18 to 4.58. To be fair, Gausman has had to face some pretty stacked offenses over that time, and four of those five starts have been on the road. He'll no doubt be happy to hit the reset button here at home against a pretty weak Marlins offense that is averaging just 3.5 runs per game. Take the O's. |
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06-15-18 | Spain -110 v. Portugal | Top | 3-3 | Loss | -110 | 57 h 17 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Friday, our selection is on Spain on the money line vs. Portugal. Portugal is the reigning European champion who are typically considered a dangerous foe with Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch. However, that 2016 Euro championship looks much better on paper than it does for those of us who followed that tournament closely two summers ago. The Seleccao failed to even win one match in regulation time before getting a fortunate semifinals encounter with a Wales side which had lost two of its best players to injury. In fact, Portugal barely qualified for the knockout stage of that event after earning draws in all three of its group stage matches. Manager Fernando Santos continued with cautious tactics in last year’s Confederation Cup which resulted in a semifinals exit to Chile. And though Ronaldo remains an elite international player, at 33 years old, he is no longer quite as prolific from outside the box. And too many of their key supporting players are coming off poor professional seasons. In particular, an aging backline with a host of question marks is worrisome when facing this hungry Spain team which scored 36 goals in its 10 qualifying matches for the World Cup. Back in 2014, La Roja hit rock bottom by not exiting the group stage of that World Cup. But a 3-0 blanking of Italy last September, in a qualifying match which avenged its knockout stage loss to the Italians in the 2016 Euro, has the Spanish faithful confident once again. Manager Julen Lopetegui (before being removed on Wednesday) did a fine job of incorporating a new generation of talent while keeping a few key veterans who played important roles in their fabled 2008-2012 run that featured two Euro wins along with the 2010 World Cup championship. Spain's roster arguably has as much talent as any team in the field. Indeed, it includes no less than 17 players from Real Madrid, which has won three straight Champions Leagues! The fact that there's been a coaching change doesn't detract from our play. Instead, I like it a tad more, as I feel the players will rally around the new manager, Fernando Hierro. The ex-Real Oviedo skipper with 89 caps himself with Spanish national team is popular with the current players and was considered the obvious choice to replace Lopetegui. The heavy lifting has already been done by Lopetegui in picking the roster and making the philosophical choice to stick with their tiki-taka ball control tactics while implementing more counter-pressuring maneuvers when the team loses possession. Lopetegui’s expertise will likely be missed moving forward but that should not be an issue in this opening match against Portugal. Take Spain on the money line. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-14-18 | Mets v. Diamondbacks -138 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 11 h 38 m | Show |
At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Diamondbacks over the New York Mets. Don't look now, but here comes the Diamondbacks. Or more specifically, their offense, which has finally caught fire. In the first month, the D-Backs were in the middle of the pack in run production (114 in 25 games) but in May they completely went to sleep, ranking last in the NL with just 77 runs in 27 games (almost 20 runs behind 14th-place Miami). Two things have happened recently to change that. The D-Backs went out and made a minor trade for a legit leadoff hitter (Jon Jay) and Paul Goldschmidt has finally woken up in a big way. So far for June, the D-Backs rank 2nd in production, already having plated 86 runs in 12 games. And they've scored 55 runs in their last six games going into tonight. They'll send RH Matt Koch to the mound tonight. Koch has been average at best (4-3 with a 4.20 ERA in 10 starts) but the way this lineup is scoring, that likely won't matter. In fact it hasn't mattered lately as Koch has a 5.29 ERA in his last three starts but the D-Backs are 3-0 in those. Take Arizona. |
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06-14-18 | Padres v. Braves -140 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 32 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the San Diego Padres. It may be too early to give out the comeback player of the year award, but certainly one MLBer who deserves some attention is veteran RHP Anibal Sanchez. The former AL ERA champ in 2013 looked like he would be out of pro ball after posting a 6.41 ERA in 28 games last season and then becoming a Free Agent with virtually no takers. But then along came the Braves who were in need of some pitching after suffering numerous injuries -- none too series it appears -- and now Sanchez seems to have resurrected his career. The 34-year-old is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in six games including five starts and he gets another chance tonight at his new home park against the Padres. It's a team that Sanchez almost always pitches well against, but has never beaten (0-2 with a 2.76 ERA). But Sanchez might have the most talented offense he's ever had backing him up currently as the Braves keep on rolling in the NL East with little sign of wearing down. The Braves are 11-2 in their last 13 at home when the total is 7 to 8.5, Take Atlanta. |
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06-14-18 | Rays v. Yankees -166 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 8 h 2 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays. With two starters out with injuries it appears that for the time being, the Yankees have decided to go with a four-man rotation rather than insert someone new into the mix. And so far anyway, the strategy appears to be working. Domingo German may have felt like he was pitching for his Yankee rotation life last time out on June 9 as the 24-year-old RH had struggled mightily through his first five starts. He responded in a big way, throwing his first quality start since May 6 in a 4-3 victory over the Mets, although he came out of the game before he could get the Win. German will try to parlay that into another successful outing as he faces the Ray for the first time in his career. Tampa LHP Blake Snell has been on cruise control lately, allowing just there earned runs in his last five starts covering 30 1/3 innings. But he hasn't faced the Yanks since his first start of the season and that one was ugly as Snell allowed five runs in 3 1/3 innings right here in the Bronx. The Rays are 8-25 in the last 33 meetings at Yankee Stadium. Take New York. |
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06-13-18 | Padres v. Cardinals -203 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -203 | 16 h 30 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Diego Padres. The Padres came into Busch Stadium last night and beat this Cards team, 4-2 behind some pretty solid pitching. Four of the five hurlers used in Tuesday's game did not allow a run, and the only one you've probably even heard of is closer Brad Hand who pitched a perfect ninth to nail down the victory. Tonight the Pads will go with LHP Eric Lauer who will go to the mound for his 10th start of the season. The 23-year-old arrived in the big leagues ahead of schedule in April, and it has been a grind for him since he got here. He walked seven hitters over five innings in Miami on Friday in a 4-1 loss and his overall numbers now stand at 2-4 with a 6.64 ERA and unsightly 2.06 WHIP in just over 39 innings. The Cards will go with RHP Luke Weaver who has struggled this season after a promising sophomore campaign in 2017. Perhaps a start against San Diego will get Weaver back on track as in two starts against the Pads he has yet to allow a run (2-0 with 14 strikeouts and two walks in 12 innings). Take the Cards. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-13-18 | Indians -171 v. White Sox | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -171 | 15 h 25 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over Chicago. We had a huge play last night on the Chicago White Sox over Cleveland, and easily cashed a 5-1 win by the underdog White Sox. One of the factors for me last night was that the Indians started Adam Plutko. Even though Plutko was 3-0 going into last night, he had surrendered a whopping five home runs over his 18 1-3 innings pitched. Last night's game continued that trend, as Plutko gave up back-to-back HRs to the very first two batters he faced (so he's now given up seven HRs in 23 IP). And the White Sox are (for them) a competitive 23-31 vs. pitchers who give up more than 0.5 HRs per start this season (but an awful 0-11 vs. pitchers who give up 0.5 (or less) HRs per start). This will be Trevor Bauer's 14th start of the season, and he's surrendered just five home runs in 86 innings pitched! Bauer's 6-2 in his career vs. Chicago, including 3-0 his last three. Meanwhile, Dylan Covey's lone start vs. Cleveland wasn't inspiring, as he was on the short end of a 9-6 defeat, and put on eight baserunners in 4 1-3 innings. Take Cleveland. |
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06-13-18 | Angels -109 v. Mariners | Top | 6-8 | Loss | -109 | 11 h 26 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Angels over Seattle. The Mariners took the first two games of this 3-game series, but I love Anaheim to leave town off a win this afternoon. Garrett Richards is 6-3 in his career vs. the M's with a super ERA of 2.52, and a WHIP of 1.09. And he blanked the Mariners in a 5-0 victory back in May. In contrast, Marco Gonzales' ERA vs. Anaheim is 4.40, and his WHIP is 1.46. Earlier this year, Gonzales was roughed up by the Angels, as he gave up 10 baserunners and 4 runs in six innings, in a 9-8 defeat. Take Anaheim. |
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06-12-18 | Indians v. White Sox +130 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 130 | 19 h 56 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over Cleveland. The Indians shut out the Pale Hose, 4-0, last night behind Carlos Carrasco. Tonight, Cleveland will hand the ball to rookie RHP Adam Plutko, who is 3-0 for the Indians this year. And he also threw a no-hitter for Triple A Columbus in his last start (he's 5-3 with a 1.83 ERA for Columbus this season). But the White Sox have seen Plutko once already this season, and actually hit him pretty hard (though they lost, 9-6). In that game, played back on May 28, Plutko surrendered five runs and put on seven baserunners in just five innings. Tonight, he'll face James Shields, who has given up 2 earned runs or less in six of his last eight starts vs. Cleveland. With the Indians owning a poor 6-12 record as a favorite priced from -125 to -175 this season, we'll fade the Tribe and take the Underdog White Sox. MLB Underdog of the Month. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-11-18 | Padres v. Cardinals -180 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 19 h 12 m | Show |
At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the San Diego Padres. No sooner did Alex Reyes make his long-anticipated 2018 debut after recovering from Tommy John surgery did the 23-year-old phenom land right back on the DL, requiring season-ending surgery for a torn lat muscle. Enter RH Jack Flaherty. Flaherty -- a year younger than Reyes -- had already made some spot starts thanks to injuries to Carlos Martinez and Adam Wainwright, and now with Reyes going down again it appears that the 2014 first round draft pick may be in the Cards rotation to stay. It doesn't hurt that Flaherty is ultra-talented with a mid-90s fastball and an excellent slider that he's been developing. With 70 innings under his belt between the Minors and St. Louis this season, the Cards will monitor his workload later on, but for now, Flaherty has a chance to get some starts in and establish himself as a permanent rotation member. So far, he is 2-2 with a 3.20 ERA and 42 strikeouts with just 10 walks in 39 1/3 innings. The Padres are 5-12 in the last 17 meetings and 16-45 in the last 61 in St. Louis. Take the Cards. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-11-18 | Cubs -122 v. Brewers | Top | 7-2 | Win | 100 | 19 h 8 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs got off to a slow start this season, but have turned things around lately and that's exactly the situation for their RH starter, Jose Quintana. After eight starts, Quintana was 4-3 with a 5.23 ERA. In his last four, Quintana has gone 2-1 and lowered that ERA by more than a run to it current 4.20. Quintana struck out a season-high 10 batters over 5 2/3 innings in his last start against Philly, but got a no-decision. The other thing about him is he's done by far his best work on the road this season (4-2 with 2.62 ERA) and he hasn't allowed an earned run in his last three outings away from Wrigley Field. Tonight he'll try to slow down a Brewers offense that plated 27 runs in the three-game weekend series against the Phillies. He was certainly able to do that in his last start here in Milwaukee on April 8 as Quintana tossed six shutout innings allowing just three hits in a 3-0 victory. The Cubs are 63-29 in their last 92 as a road favorite of -125 to -175 and they are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings at Miller Park. Take Chicago. |
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06-11-18 | Giants -161 v. Marlins | Top | 5-7 | Loss | -161 | 18 h 8 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Miami Marlins. Giants LH ace Madison Bumgarner got his first start since last September 23 on Tuesday, June 5 against the Diamondbacks. Given the amount of rust that the 28-year-old had from missing the first two months+ of the season, it wasn't a bad effort at all as Bumgarner allowed two runs on eight hits in six innings. He was limited to about 80 pitches so expect the Giants to give him a little more leash tonight in start number two in South Florida. The Mariners will go with veteran LHP Wei-Yin Chen. Like Bumgarner, Chen also started the season on the Disabled List (elbow) and didn't make a start until the end of April. Chen has struggled however, and after eight starts he sits at 1-3 with a 5.86 ERA and a K:BB ratio of just 1.44 due to an unsightly walk rate of 4.6 per nine innings. With their Sunday loss here at home, the Marlins are just 4-13 in their last 17 games and 1-6 in their last seven home games going back to May 17. Miami is also 7-17 in its last 24 games vs. a left-handed starter. Take the Giants. |
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06-10-18 | Angels v. Twins -117 | Top | 5-7 | Win | 100 | 11 h 32 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over Anaheim. The Angels bring a 6-game win streak into this afternoon game at Minnesota. But we'll take Fernando Romero and the Twins today. Romero's ERA at home is a solid 2.70, with a 1.14 WHIP. And in daytime starts, his ERA is a sparkling 1.62. He made one start already this season vs. Anaheim, and he pitched very well (5 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 6 K). He'll face Nick Tropeano, who also has faced today's opponent once already this season. In contrast to Romero, Tropeano didn't fare well vs. the Twins back in May, as he gave up 3 ER and 8 baserunners in 6 innings (a 6-3 Twins win). Take Minnesota. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-10-18 | Mariners -160 v. Rays | Top | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 33 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Mariners over the Tampa Bay Rays. James Paxton is establishing himself not only as the best lefthander on his team, but one of the best in the American League. Through his first four seasons, Paxton struggled with various injuries, then in 2017 he broke out and logged over 20 starts for the first time while posting a 2.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 156 strikeouts in 136 innings. So far, Paxton is looking even better in 2018, with a 5-1 record, 2.95 ERA and career best 11.0 strikeout rate in 13 starts covering just over 82 innings. And he also has two complete games and his first career no-hitter back on May 8 against the Blue Jays. Paxton is a perfect two-for-two in starts against the Rays with victories in 2013 and 2016. Tampa will go with veteran RHP Nathan Eovaldi who signed with the Rays in February then sat out with an elbow injury until about two weeks ago. He pitched well in his debut in Oakland, but then got hit pretty good in DC against the Nats last Tuesday. Tampa won on Saturday but is still just 7-21 in the last 28 meeting with the M's. Take Seattle. |
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06-10-18 | Padres v. Marlins -116 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -116 | 10 h 33 m | Show |
At 1:10 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the San Diego Padres. Normally, it would be hard to make an argument for a starter who is 1-7 on the season and whose team has lost 12 of his 13 starts. But one thing about Marlins' RHP Jose Urena is that he's had to face some pretty stiff competition and stacked offenses in many of his outings. In one stretch between April 21 and May 25, Urena had starts against the Brewers, Rockies, Phillies, Cubs, Nationals, and Braves (twice). His next start was against this Padres team in San Diego and he pitched very well but got very little run support. Urena finally broke through and won in his last start against the Cards, despite the fact that it wasn't one of his best efforts. He'll look for some revenge at home this afternoon against the Padres and southpaw Clayton Richard. Richard is 4-6 with a 4.67 ERA in 13 starts so far. For all of their struggles, the Marlins have done well in home games vs. bad teams as they are 22-9 in their last 31 games in South Florida against teams with a winning percentage below .460. Take the Fish. |
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06-09-18 | Mariners v. Rays -130 | Top | 3-7 | Win | 100 | 14 h 32 m | Show |
At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Seattle Mariners. In 2015, Blake Snell won the coveted Minor League Player of the Year award and true to form, the young southpaw joined the Rays the next season and struggled. When a hitter is named to top honors in the Minors, more often than not he can continue the hot play as soon as he gets to the Majors. But pitchers are different. So after struggling a bit in 2016 and 2017, Snell has now arrived in a big way. The now-25-year-old looks like one of the best lefties in the AL right now, with a 7-3 record, 2.36 ERA and 10.4 strikeout rate through 13 starts. Now Snell is one of the hottest pitchers in the league as he has not allowed an earned run in his last three starts covering 17 2/3 innings. And he is 3-0 in his last four starts going back almost a month. He'll face the Mariners for the fourth time in his career, and his previous three have yielded some pretty dominant results. Snell is 1-1 with a microscopic 0.55 ERA in 16 1/3 innings vs. Seattle. The Rays are also 9-2 in Snell's last 11 home starts vs. teams with a winning record. Meanwhile, Felix Hernandez has an ERA north of 7 runs per game in his six road starts this season. Take Tampa Bay. Mound Mismatch Massacre. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-08-18 | Warriors v. Cavs +6 | Top | 108-85 | Loss | -107 | 43 h 27 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, on Friday, our selection is on the Cleveland Cavaliers + the points over Golden State. It's deja vu all over again, as the Warriors once again have a 3-games-to-none stranglehold on the series. However, the Cavs blew out the Warriors, 137-116, in Game 4 last season, and I expect another strong effort on Friday night. Indeed, NBA teams have cashed 64.2% over the past 28 years in the NBA Finals off a pointspread defeat if they trail 2-0 or 3-0 in the series. Even better: LeBron James' teams have gone 47-27 ATS at home in the Playoffs provided they weren't leading in the series. Take Cleveland + the points. NBA Game of the Month. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-08-18 | White Sox v. Red Sox -293 | Top | 1-0 | Loss | -293 | 15 h 33 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox over the Chicago White Sox. I have never released a baseball play at this high a price. But, as they say, there's a first time for everything. Boston is a fantastic 45-11 (+20 games on the moneyline) when priced at -200 or higher, while the White Sox are a horrid 22-70 (minus 21 games on the moneyline) as an underdog of +200 or higher. Even worse: Chicago starter Dylan Covey is 0-7 on the road in his career, while the White Sox have lost his last nine road games. Take Boston. |
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06-08-18 | Yankees v. Mets +106 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -100 | 15 h 32 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the New York Yankees. This is a whopping mismatch on the mound. The Mets will give the ball to Jake deGrom, who leads the National League with a 1.49 ERA. And he also has a career 0.64 ERA vs. the Yankees at home, in Citi Field. Meanwhile, the Yankees will start Masahiro Tanaka, who has a 5.13 ERA in six road starts, and a 1-2 record with a 3.80 ERA in his career at Citi Field. Take the Mets. |
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06-08-18 | Padres v. Marlins -133 | Top | 0-4 | Win | 100 | 15 h 32 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Miami Marlins over the San Diego Padres. You'd be hard-pressed to find a player on the depleted Marlins roster who is worthy of All Star consideration in a few weeks when the rosters are put together. But one player who has at least garnered some positive attention is LHP Caleb Smith. The 26-year-old is putting together a very nice first half. Ignore the fact that Smith is 4-6 as on this team that's about as good as any starting pitcher can hope to do. But Smith's other stats are very solid: a 4.03 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP with 74 strikeouts and 28 walks in just over 60 innings of work (an 11.0 K rate and 2.64 K:BB ratio). And the fact that he is a southpaw is a nice bonus as well. Smith will get start number 13 tonight and it's at home where his ERA is almost a full run lower than it is on the road (3.51 vs. 4.41). Smith already has a start against the Padres this season -- a little more than a week ago -- and it was a good one. On May 28, Smith went seven strong innings at Petco Park allowing one run on four hits in a 7-2 win. Take the Marlins. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-07-18 | Capitals v. Golden Knights -134 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -134 | 39 h 29 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Washington Capitals. After not winning a single game in their last Stanley Cup Finals appearance 20 years ago, the Washington Capitals have now won three straight and are just one victory away from their first ever Cup. But anyone who thinks this series is over should think again. Vegas is a very dangerous team, and had a couple of bounces gone their way in the first five minutes on Monday night, the score could easily have been 3-0 in their favor instead of Washington's. When Erik Haula tipped a shot off the post, Reilly Smith just missed off the side of the net, and James Neal somehow couldn't find a wide open net all within the first five minutes of Game 4, you just knew that all the wind had gone out of the Vegas balloon. You wouldn't know it from the final score, but the Knights actually out-shot the Caps in Game 4 by a pretty wide margin (30-23). It's also the third game of the series in which the Knights have won the shots battle, and DC hasn't tallied more than 28 shots in any of the games. Here are some stats that should make Vegas fans feel pretty good about tonight: In the last 10 years, only one Cup Final Series was decided in as few as five games (2014 when the Kings beat the Rangers, 4-1). And in this year's post-season, teams that have lost by four or more goals have gone 11-3 in their next game (including a perfect 6-0 from the 2nd round forward). And if one goes back to the 2015 Playoffs, such teams have gone 27-13 in that same situation. Despite the fact that the Capitals will tonight try to do to the Knights what the Red Wings did to them 20 years ago -- beat them in four straight games -- four-game streaks in the NHL playoffs are extremely rare. The Golden Knights are 6-1 in their last seven after allowing five goals or more in their previous game. They are also 16-2 in their last 18 home games vs. teams with a winning road record. Take Vegas. NHL Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-07-18 | Orioles v. Blue Jays -144 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 17 h 28 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays over the Baltimore Orioles. It was only two games, but the Orioles can say they won a road series in New York after beating the Mets over the past two nights. Baltimore will take anything it can get right now in a first-half that is one of the worst in recent memory. The O's travel to Toronto to take on the Jays over the next four days. They start out facing LHP Jaime Garcia. And while that may not seem like a tough assignment, the O's have been pretty awful vs. southpaws so far in 2018. They will counter with first-year rookie RHP David Hess. Hess has decent numbers on the surface after four starts with a 2-2 record and 3.47 ERA. But he has struck out just 12 batters in 23 1/3 innings and that lack of power may not play well at Rogers Centre. There's no question the Jays have struggled mightily at home lately, but their last five series here have been against the Yankees, Angels, A's, Red Sox, and Mariners. They will no doubt welcome the class relief this weekend as they are 5-1 in their last six home games vs. teams with a road winning % below .400. Meanwhile, Baltimore's an awful 9-28 as an underdog. Take Toronto. MLB Division Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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06-06-18 | Warriors v. Cavs UNDER 217.5 | Top | 110-102 | Win | 100 | 66 h 34 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Under. Analysis to follow. |
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06-06-18 | Mariners v. Astros -181 | Top | 5-7 | Win | 100 | 16 h 30 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners. Nobody would have blamed the Astros if they thought they would walk away with the AL West crown after winning it all last season. On their way to their first World Title last season, the Stros absolutely destroyed the rest of their Division, finishing 21 games ahead of the second place Angels. But the Mariners didn't care about that and re-tooled for 2018. So now, more than 1/3 of the way through this season, Seattle's ball club -- and not Houston's -- is in first place in the West. And in the first series between the two here at Minute Maid Park, the M's drew first blood last night, winning 7-1. Tonight, Houston sends one of its aces to the mound in RHP Lance McCullers Jr. McCullers is 7-3 with a 3.89 ERA this season. On April 17, McCullers threw seven innings of one-run ball vs. Seattle, one of his best starts of the season. That took his career record vs. the M's to 6-2 with a stellar 2.75 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 10 starts covering 55 2/3 innings. Despite its win on Tuesday, Seattle is just 11-26 in the last 37 meetings. Take the 'Stros. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-06-18 | White Sox v. Twins -165 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -165 | 15 h 24 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins over the Chicago White Sox. Jake Odorizzi knows a thing or two about consistency. The Minnesota Twins RHP has put up 11, 9, 10, and 10 wins with an ERA right around four runs over the last four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. And now in his first season in Minneapolis, Odorizzi is right on pace for exactly the same type of season. Through his first 12 starts, the 28-year-old is 3-2 with a 4.14 ERA -- the exact same number he had in 2017. He goes in start number 13 tonight and has a great chance to get win number four against a team that has won just three times in the last nine games. The White Sox will go with LHP Hector Santiago, who will go to the hill for his seventh start (he also has 10 relief appearances). Santiago continues his rocky road in the Sox rotation. In those six starts, the veteran southpaw owns a 6.59 ERA and has averaged less than five innings per start. His only start vs. the Twins this year was his worst, as he gave up eight runs over 3 1/3 innings. The Sox won last night but are just 2-7 in the last nine meetings. Take the Twins. Mound Mismatch Massacre. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-05-18 | White Sox v. Twins UNDER 9.5 | Top | 6-3 | Win | 100 | 4 h 18 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, in Game 2 of the Double-Header, our selection is on the Under in the White Sox/Twins game with Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell starting. Giolito has pitched better on the road (six starts) than at home (five starts) this season, as his ERA is more than 8 runs per game better away from home. Not surprisingly, a majority of his home starts have gone 'over' the total this season, while none of his six road starts have gone 'over' (4 'unders'; 2 'pushes'). And, in the last two seasons, none of his eight road starts have gone 'over' (6 'unders'; 2 'pushes'). Giolito will face Zack Littell tonight, and Littell has been tearing it up in AAA-Rochester this season, with a 2.57 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 28 innings pitched. Take the 'under.' |
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06-05-18 | Brewers v. Indians -201 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 17 h 54 m | Show |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over Milwaukee. Faithful followers know that Corey Kluber is one of my favorite pitchers. This season, he's sprinted out to an 8-2 start (5-0 at home), with a 2.02 ERA (1.26 at home), and 0.83 WHIP (0.79 at home). It's true that the Indians are currently on a 3-game losing streak. But they've won 11 straight at home off 3+ losses. Take Cleveland. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-05-18 | Rays v. Nationals -242 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 17 h 49 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals over Tampa Bay. Max Scherzer is pitching as well as anyone this season. Through 12 starts, he has a 9-1 record with a 1.92 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Those numbers improve to 1.77 ERA and 0.67 WHIP at home. Scherzer has dominated Tampa Bay, as his teams (Washington/Detroit) have won his last five starts vs. the Rays, and his ERA is 2.82 in those five games. In contrast, Eovaldi's teams have lost each of his last four starts vs. Washington (his ERA is 4.43). Scherzer has dominated as a big favorite (116-43, +31 games on the moneyline), when priced at -150 or higher. Take Washington. |
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06-04-18 | Braves v. Padres -110 | Top | 4-11 | Win | 100 | 19 h 54 m | Show |
At 10:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres over Atlanta. We played on the Braves yesterday, and they rewarded us with a 4-2 victory over division rival, Washington. After that win, the Braves had to travel cross-country to take on the Padres, here in San Diego. The Braves will hand the ball to RHP Julio Teheran tonight. Unfortunately for the Braves, they've been poor in night games with Teheran on the mound, as they've gone 18-34, minus 17 games on the moneyline. Even worse: Teheran's struggling of late, with a 5.50 ERA over his last three starts. In contrast, Clayton Richard has pitched well over his last three outings, with a 3.54 ERA and a sparkling 0.93 WHIP. Richard's also had four straight quality starts at home, including a 3-2 win vs. Miami last Wednesday when he gave up just 4 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings. Over his last four home starts, he's allowed just 10 runs and 27 baserunners in 29 2/3 innings (3.03 ERA; 0.91 WHIP). Mound Mismatch Massacre! Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-03-18 | Cavs +12.5 v. Warriors | Top | 103-122 | Loss | -108 | 66 h 15 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on the Cleveland Cavaliers + the points over Golden State. The Warriors won Game 1, 124-114, in overtime, to take a 1-0 series lead. Off that loss, we'll grab the points with Cleveland, as .610 (or better) NBA teams are 61-42 ATS as underdogs when down 1 game to none in a Playoff series. And LeBron James' teams have gone 23-15 ATS on the road in the Playoffs off a SU loss. Take Cleveland. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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06-03-18 | Red Sox v. Astros -160 | Top | 9-3 | Loss | -160 | 17 h 50 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Boston Red Sox. Two of the AL's best go at it tonight as the Red Sox visit Houston to finish up this four-game series. The defending World Series champs took the first two games before the Sox avenged those two defeats with a 5-4 win last night to cut the series deficit to one game heading into Sunday. RHP Charlie Morton is making a strong case so far for top pitching honors in the league and certainly looks like he's heading to DC for the mid-summer classic. In 11 starts covering just under 68 innings, Morton is 7-0 with a 2.26 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Red Sox RHP Rick Porcello started out the season also looking like a Cy Young contender. But after going 5-0 with a 2.14 ERA thru his first start in May, Porcello has taken a few steps backwards. Since that victory over the Rangers on May 4, Porcello has gone 2-2 and seen his ERA rise 1 1/2 runs to its current 3.65. Morton has three career starts vs. the Sox, and he's 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA against them while his teams -- the Pirates and Stros -- are 3-0. Moreover, this season, Boston hasn't stepped up against the better pitchers, as the Sox are just 6-14 this season in games vs. starters with a WHIP below 1.30. Take Houston. AL Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-03-18 | Indians -119 v. Twins | Top | 5-7 | Loss | -119 | 11 h 23 m | Show |
At 2:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Minnesota Twins. What is up the Minnesota Twins? One of the worst hitting lineups in baseball has suddenly waked up from a slumber and plated 30 runs in the last four games. The bad news is that in two of those games, the opposition scored a total of 20. The Indians will turn to RHP Mike Clevinger for his 12th start of the season. Clevinger has followed up his breakout sophomore campaign, in which he won 12 games with a 3.11 ERA, with numbers that are just as good and arguably even better. Clevinger is 4-2 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP (better than last year's number) and he's dramatically lowered his walk rate from 4.4 per nine IP to 2.9. This will be Clevinger's first start of the season against Minnesota. But in four previous starts against them, he has allowed more than two runs just once (and that was three). Twins' RHP Kyle Gibson has pretty solid numbers this season, but he hasn't won a game since his season debut on March 31 against the Orioles and his team is 0-3 in his last three trips to the mound. Even worse: Minny is a poor 29-46 (minus 21 games on the moneyline) in its last 75 daytime games at home, while Cleveland is 84-55 in its last 139 day games (including 15-9 this year). Take the Indians. MLB Road Warrior Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-03-18 | Nationals v. Braves -118 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 1 h 54 m | Show |
At 1:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over Washington. The Braves will hand the ball to Anibal Sanchez today, and he's a spectacular 9-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in his career vs. Washington. The Nationals did win in 14 innings here on Saturday. But the Nats are a poor 1-8 after their bullpen threw for 7+ innings. And Atlanta is 19-11 when priced between -125 and +125 this season, as well as 17-6 off a loss. Take Atlanta. |
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06-02-18 | Cubs v. Mets -112 | Top | 7-1 | Loss | -112 | 17 h 55 m | Show |
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the New York Mets over the Chicago Cubs. Mets ace Jacob deGrom is making a strong case for top pitching honors in the NL this season. Of course, there's a guy in DC named Scherzer who may have something to say about that. But that doesn't change the fact that deGrom is having one of his best seasons ever with a league-leading 1.52 ERA and a career best strikeout rate of 11.7 (85 K's in 65 1/3 innings). And deGrom has yet to lose a decision (4-0) in his 11 starts. Southpaw spot starter Mike Montgomery is back in the starting role again tonight due to the injury to Yu Darvish. It will be Montgomery's second start of the season after he made 14 in 2017. But his ERA is the highest it's been since his rookie season (4.35) and his only other start against the Mets -- almost exactly a year ago here at CitiField -- was a 9-4 beat-down. The Mets are 17-4 in deGrom's last 21 home starts with a money line of -100 to -150. Heading into this evening's game, the Cubs are also just 3-8 in the last 11 meetings with the Mets in Queens. MLB Roadkill Winner! Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-01-18 | Rangers v. Angels -160 | Top | 0-6 | Win | 100 | 20 h 14 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Texas Rangers. His name wasn't on the radar for top rookie honors in the AL back in March, but Angels' RHP Jaime Barria is making a strong case right now. Over his first six starts, the 21-year-old from Panama is 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts to just eight walks (a K:BB ratio of 3.0). Those are the kind of numbers that will get you noticed -- and also help you stick in the rotation. With plenty of injuries on the LA staff (Alex Meyer, Matt Shoemaker, JC Ramirez) Barria will continue to get starts, and number seven will be against the Rangers and a man more than twice his age in RHP Bartolo Colon. Colon got off to a hot start, going 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA in April. But May has seen a regression as "Big Sexy" has gone 1-2 and seen his ERA rise to 3.55 in five starts this month. He's only made two starts in Anaheim since 2014, but they were both ugly as in those two combined he allowed 18 runs (11 earned) on 18 hits in just 7 1/3 innings. Take the Halos. MLB Roadkill Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-31-18 | Cavs v. Warriors -12 | Top | 114-124 | Loss | -108 | 42 h 1 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, on Thursday, our selection is on the Golden State Warriors minus the points over Cleveland. The Western Conference has been dominant vs. the East, as its teams have now had home court advantage in the NBA Finals for 18 of the last 21 years! In the previous 20 seasons, over those 17 NBA Finals openers where it owned home court advantage in the finals, the Western Conference has won Game 1 all but two seasons (2001, 2004), and has gone 13-4 ATS. Even worse for LeBron James & Co., the Western Conference has now won and covered 10 STRAIGHT TIMES (since 2005) in Game 1 when it owned home court advantage in the Finals! And LeBron James teams accounted for six of those 10 defeats. I look for Golden State to blow out Cleveland, as it's 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings between these two teams, with those seven wins by an average of 15.28 ppg. Moreover, Golden State has gone 15-1 SU and 10-6 ATS in the opening game of its last 16 Playoff series, and it also falls into 90-49 and 32-10 ATS Playoff Systems of mine, that take certain teams in Game 1, based on various team statistics. Lay it. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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05-31-18 | Indians v. Twins UNDER 9 | Top | 9-8 | Loss | -104 | 20 h 31 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins 'under' the total. If you want to see some unbelievable minor league pitching stats, look up Cleveland RH prospect Shane Bieber. At every level of the minors, Bieber has averaged about a strikeout per inning and walked around 0.5 per nine. Bieber will make his MLB debut tonight in Minnesota. The rub against him is that he is a command and control pitcher with a fastball that sits in the low-90s and we've seen guys like this with crazy Minor League numbers come up and get hit hard. But the fact that Bieber gets his first start against the light-hitting Twins should help. And while he may suffer later on if he sticks with the Tribe, look for him to excel in his debut tonight. Despite Cleveland's 9-1 victory on Wednesday, the runs have been hard to come by in this series, as the under is 20-8 in the last 28 between the Tribe and Twins. The under is also 8-2 in Minnesota's last 10 overall. Take the 'under.' MLB Total of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-31-18 | Red Sox v. Astros -192 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 20 h 30 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros over the Boston Red Sox. Southpaw Drew Pomeranz is having a horrible season. He's made seven starts, and has a 6.75 ERA and 1.87 WHIP. Even worse, he's averaged just 4.4 innings per start. That bodes well for Lance McCullers and Houston tonight, as McCullers has a 1.73 ERA at home. And Houston is 56-22 at home in games vs. starting pitchers that average less than 5 innings per start. Take the Astros. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-31-18 | Nationals v. Braves -115 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 19 h 55 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals. The best pennant race in the Majors so far? That's easy. Only one game separates the top three teams in the NL East, and it's likely not the three teams you thought it would be back in March. The Braves are for real, with a young nucleus of both hitters and pitchers that seem like they can keep pace with the ultra-talented Nationals and upstart Phillies. The Nats and Braves begin a huge four-game series at SunTrust Park tonight with RH Tanner Roark coming in to face southpaw Sean Newcomb. It's a big revenge situation for Newcomb as he was beaten badly by the Nats and Roark in his first start of the season on April 2, by a score of 8-1. Since then, Newcomb has been solid, with a 5-0 record in nine starts and the Braves are 6-4 in his 10 outings overall. Compare that to the 4-6 record that the Nats have when Roark has taken the mound this season. The Braves are 5-1 in Newcomb's last six starts and 6-2 in his last eight following a loss. Take the Braves. |
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05-31-18 | Pirates v. Cardinals -155 | Top | 8-10 | Win | 100 | 19 h 37 m | Show |
At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It seems that the Cardinals have gone from a shortage of talented young starting pitching to a glut in the span of less than a year. Super-prospect Alex Reyes just returned from elbow surgery and his numbers during his rehab were so ridiculously good, it looked like somebody made them up. And, tonight, you have 22-year-old Jack Flaherty making his sixth start in place of the injured Carlos Martinez. But once Martinez is back (he's only 26, himself), the Cards will likely have to decide between Reyes and Flaherty (and Flaherty may once again be the odd man out). So, I look for him to put forth a major effort tonight, at home, in order to convince the Cards otherwise. With Flaherty pitching to a 1.40 ERA over his last three starts, he certainly has a made a case to stick around. The Pirates will go with RHP Trevor Williams who made his shortest start of the season his last time out, when he allowed four earned runs over four innings against the Cardinals. Pittsburgh is 18-37 in their last 55 as a road underdog, priced from +100 to +150. Take the Cards. |
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05-30-18 | Rays v. A's -165 | Top | 6-0 | Loss | -165 | 19 h 2 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Oakland Athletics over the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2015, the Royals traded away their 2013 first round draft pick so they could acquire IF Ben Zobrist from the Athletics. It would be hard to say at the time that the Royals regretted the trade since Zobrist helped them win a World Series, but now the folks in KC must cringe a little bit when they see LH Sean Manaea go to the mound for the A's. 2015 seems like a long time ago if you're the 2018 Royals and their decimated pitching staff could sure use some young talent like the first-rounder (Manaea) they traded away. The 26-year-old southpaw could be on the verge of a breakout. Manaea announced his arrival on the big stage by posting the first no-hitter of the season on April 21 against Boston (there have been two since). And with the talent he is still developing, it is likely not to be his last. He has thrown two gems in his only two career starts against the Royals (2016 and 2017). Finally, the A's are 473-223, +64 games on the moneyline, as a favorite of -150 or more, while Tampa is an awful 180-378, minus 43 games on the moneyline, as a dog of +150 or higher. Take Oakland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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05-30-18 | Cubs v. Pirates +113 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 113 | 16 h 3 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over Chicago. The Buccos are 4-1 this season as a home underdog (and 30-27, +11 games on the moneyline) as a home underdog the last three seasons. Tonight, Pittsburgh will give the ball to Joe Musgrove, who worked seven shutout innings in his first start of the season five days ago. Kyle Hendricks' ERA away from home this season is a poor 4.71. And the Cubbies have won just one of his previous four starts vs. Pittsburgh, even though they were priced, on average, -159 in those four games. Take Pittsburgh. |
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