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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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05-29-17 | Dodgers v. Cardinals UNDER 8.5 | Top | 5-1 | Win | 100 | 7 h 56 m | Show |
The pick: Leake has been little more than a journeyman in his career but is sure pitching well in 2017 and I'm starting to believe it just may be "one of those seasons" for him. To go along with his 1.91 ERA, he owns an 0.93 WHIP, 42-10 KW ratio and opponents are batting only .210 against him. The Dodgers are 21-8 at home (averaging more than 5 1/2 runs) but just 10-12 on the road, where they are averaging 4.36 RPG. As for the Cards, they have not played well at home, going only 12-12 while averaging 3.96 RPG. The Under is an 8* play. |
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05-28-17 | Cardinals +109 v. Rockies | Top | 4-8 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 9 m | Show |
The set-up: Colorado cruised to a 10-0 victory in the opener of this three-game series on Friday but St. Louis countered on Saturday with a 3-0 victory, as Adam Wainwright won his fifth straight decision by combining with two relievers on a four-hit shutout. It marked only the second time in Rockies franchise history that they were shut out following a shutout win in the previous game at Coors Field and that occurrence also happened against the Cardinals. Colorado is 32-19 leaving them atop the NL West and while St. Louis' 24-22 record is much more modest, the Cards are only a half-game out of first in the tightly-bunched NL Central. The teams meet for the rubber match of this three-game series on Sunday afternoon. The pitching matchup: Lance Lynn (4-2 & 2.53 ERA) will take the mound for the Cards and German Marquez (3-2 & 3.86 ERA) for the Rockies. Lynn allowed just one run on two hits with 10 strikeouts in eight innings this past Tuesday in LA against the Dodgers but his winless streak reached three starts in LA's 2-1 win (13 innings). Lynn is having an excellent season, allowing more than two ERs only twice in nine starts, including just once in his last seven. Lynn has made five career starts against Colorado, going 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA (team is 2-3). Marquez made his 2017 debut back on April 25th against the Nats and got ripped for eight ERs in just four innings of a 15-12 loss. However, he has allowed more than one run just once in his five outings since, earning a win in each of his last three. Marquez has only one career start against St. Louis, a five-inning effort on September 21st of last year, in which he yielded one run on four hits over five innings. The pick: The Rockies are 11-2-2 in series this season and can capture their 12th series win with a victory on Sunday but I don't want to go against Lynn. He ranks second among National League pitchers with an opponents average of .188 and owns a 1.77 ERA in three career starts at Coors Field. Make the Cards a 10* play. |
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05-28-17 | Tigers +102 v. White Sox | Top | 3-7 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 9 m | Show |
The set-up: The Tigers and White Sox have been battling each other and the Chicago weather this weekend, A doubleheader was originally scheduled for Friday but just one game was played, before the teams got in a twin-bill on Saturday. Chicago won 8-2 on Friday and then 3-0 in Game 1 on Saturday before Detroit was able to eke out a 4-3 win in the nightcap. The Tigers had scored two or fewer runs in five of their previous seven games but the team's four runs last night were enough to get them a win. They are now just 2-5 on their 11-game road trip but have a chance to split this series Sunday afternoon. Chicago hopes for a series win with a Sunday victory to kick off a seven-game homestand (the Boston Red Sox visit for three games beginning on Monday). |
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05-27-17 | Cardinals +103 v. Rockies | Top | 3-0 | Win | 103 | 13 h 29 m | Show |
The set-up: The Colorado Rockies used a 14-hit attack to crush St. Louis 10-0 on Friday, their fifth win in six games. It was a nice bounce-back for Colorado, which lost Thursday 2-1 at Philadelphia in 11 innings. The Rockies had scored six or more runs in six consecutive contests before being held to that one run on Thursday and had just two runs through seven innings last night, before exploding for eight runs in an eighth-inning rally. St. Louis has now gone 1-3 on its six-game road trip, scoring a total of four runs in the defeats. Colorado's 32-18 record leads the NL West while the Cards' 23-22 record has them close (one game back of the first-place Cubs) in the tightly-contested NL Central (top-four teams are within two games of each other). The pitching matchup: Adam Wainwright (4-3 & 4.81 ERA) gets the start for St. Louis up against Colorado's Kyle Freeland (5-2 & 3.31 ERA). The veteran Wainwright started slowly in 2017 but takes the mound having won four consecutive decisions. The 35-year-old has been superb in his last two outings, winning both while allowing one run on nine hits over 13 1/3 innings. More to the point in this game, Wainwright has dominated the Rockies throughout his career, going 9-1 (3-0 at Coors Field) with one shutout and a 1.70 ERA in 10 starts and four relief appearances. Freeland's a rookie who has allowed three ERs or fewer in each of his last seven starts, posting a 4-1 record in that span (Rockies are 6-1). This marks his first career start against the Cards. The pick: In somewhat of a surprise, Colorado has been better on the road (18-8) than here at Coors (14-10) in 2017. In fact, both of Freeland's losses this season have come at home, where the rookie has posted a 3.80 ERA as opposed to a 2.89 mark on the road. Getting back to Wainwright, he's 8-1 with a 1.81 ERA in his 10 career starts against the Rockies (Cards are 8-2) and comes in pitching very well. I'm backing the vet over the rookie in this one and will make the Cards a 10* play. |
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05-27-17 | Diamondbacks v. Brewers UNDER 8.5 | Top | 1-6 | Win | 100 | 8 h 29 m | Show |
The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks lost 93 games in 2016 but enter this weekend as MLB's hottest team, as Friday night's 4-2 win in 10 innings at Milwaukee gives them 10 wins in their last 11 games. Arizona is now 31-19 overall, just one game back of first-place Colorado in the NL West after last night's dramatic win. The loss had to be particularly painful for the Brewers, who lost a 2-1 lead with two outs in the ninth inning on a HR by Arizona catcher Chris Iannetta, then lost in the 10th. Milwaukee was shut out 4-0 on Thursday by Arizona and has now managed just two runs on 11 hits in losing the first two games of this series. The Brewers, who placed Ryan Braun (calf) on the 10-day disabled list Friday, enter Saturday's contest on a season-high five-game slide, leaving them 25-23 but still just a half-game back of the first-place Cubs in the NL Central. The pitching matchup: Zack Greinke (6-2 & 2.82 ERA) takes the mound for Arizona and will be opposed by Milwaukee's Chase Anderson (2-1 & 4.25 ERA). Greinke has won four straight starts (2.37 ERA) and Miller Park holds a special place in his heart. He's won 16 of 18 career decisions at Miller Park, including an 11-0 mark in 2011 while a member of the Brewers. However, while he has not allowed an earned run in his last 12 2/3 innings against Milwaukee, he's just 1-2 with a 3.57 ERA over four career starts against the Brewers (teams are 1-3). Anderson has completed as many as five innings just once in four May starts, giving up six runs in four innings last Sunday at Wrigley Field in Chicago, while serving up three HRs to the Cubs in a 13-6 loss. The one-time D'back is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts against his former team (1-1). The pick: Anderson posted a 1.12 ERA through his first four outings of 2017 but he's got a 7.30 mark in his last five starts, after allowing a season-high six ERs in his last outing Sunday against the Cubs. He faces an Arizona lineup that's averaging 5.73 RPG in winning 10 of 11, so it will be tough to turn around his woes in this one. But Greinke comes in red-hot plus he 'loves' Miller Park. Make the Under a 10* play. |
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05-27-17 | Rangers v. Blue Jays -104 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 5 h 25 m | Show |
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05-26-17 | Cubs v. Dodgers -132 | Top | 0-4 | Win | 100 | 15 h 3 m | Show |
analysis by 12 pm et |
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05-25-17 | Cavs v. Celtics +11 | Top | 135-102 | Loss | -115 | 13 h 35 m | Show |
The set-up: It wasn't a cakewalk but the Cavs won Game 4 against the Celtics, 112-99. The Celtics actually led by 10 points at the half but Cleveland shot 71 percent in the second half to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Kyrie scored a playoff career-high 42 points, LBJ overcame four fouls in the first half to add 34 points and Love produced his fourth consecutive double-double with 17 & 17. The Celtics now need to win at home, where they lost the first two games of this series by an average of 28.5 points, to stay alive. "We're humble enough to know that we haven't played well at home, and we want to give our home crowd a better outing than we did the past two games," forward Jae Crowder told reporters. "We're right there where we want to be, we're locked in." Cleveland: Irving tweaked an ankle in Game 4 but he didn't seem to be the least bit affected, scoring 33 of his points during an impressive 19-minute stretch. LBJ overcame early foul trouble to make 15-of-27 shots after suffering through a poor Game 3 in which he scored only 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. As noted, Love's been brilliant, averaging 24.5 & 12.8 through four games. However, an area of concern for Cleveland has to be the fact that its bench has contributed just nine (Game 3) and seven (Game 4) points! Boston: Game 3 hero Marcus Smart (27 points) returned to earth with a thud in Game 4, going 1 of 9 for eight points. Olynyk got the Game 4 start and had 15 points. He had 15 off the bench in Game 3, after scoring just two total points in the first two games! Crowder battled through a groin injury in Game 4 and produced 18 points and eight rebounds. He is averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in the series. Thomas is done for the year and winning three straight is not a realistic hope for Boston. The pick: However, the Celtics recovered from a 21-point deficit to win Game 3 in Cleveland and incredibly, had the Cavs in a 16-point hole in the second quarter of Game 4, a contest in which almost all thought the Cavs would dominate. Cleveland head coach is warning his team about looking ahead to the Warriors. "(The Celtics are), like I told you guys before, it's like we're preparing for a whole new team. Like, we didn't know what they were going to run. Isaiah (Thomas) goes down and they're running a totally different offense than we prepared for so it's been tough on us. And defensively, they're a lot better. They don't have a lot of weak links to go to, to go at." The Celtics pulled off the improbable comeback upset in Game 3 and are more than capable of at worst, taking the Cavs to the wire in this one. Take the points and make Boston a 10* play. |
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05-25-17 | Diamondbacks v. Brewers UNDER 9 | Top | 4-0 | Win | 100 | 12 h 25 m | Show |
The set-up: Seemingly, the Diamondbacks have put last year's 93-loss season behind them, as red-hot Arizona looks for its ninth victory in 10 games while attempting to hand Milwaukee its first four-game losing streak of the season. Arizona opens a four-game series in Milwaukee on Thursday on the heels of sweeping a three-game home series over the White Sox with Wednesday's 8-6 win. The D'backs own MLB's best home record (21-8) but aare more modest 8-11 on the road. Meanwhile, the Brewers have lost three in a row, after having won 10 of 12 contests before their slide. Milwaukee's 25-21 record has them a half-game up on both the Cards and Cubs in the NL Central but the Brewers are under .500 (12-13) here at Miller Park. |
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05-25-17 | Senators +183 v. Penguins | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 24 m | Show |
The set-up: The Ottawa Senators bounced back from a 7-0 drubbing in Game 5 and forced the reigning Stanley Cup champions into a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals, with a 2-1 win at home on Tuesday. Craig Anderson, after getting shell-shocked in Game 6, had 45 saves in the Game 6 victory. Ottawa now has a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2007 and deny Pittsburgh a return trip when they visit the Penguins in Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday night. Ottawa: Craig Anderson was away from the team for half the season to be with his wife during her cancer treatments, so the fact the he bounced back this postseason, has made for a great story. "It starts with the goalie," Senators head coach Guy Boucher said. "It's like a quarterback in football and a pitcher in baseball, and we have it. We got that guy." Veteran Bobby Ryan scored just 13 times in 62 regular-season games but has six goals in 18 playoff contests after his tying tally in Game 6. Ryan's goal also ended Ottawa's 0-for-29 power-play drought. Karlsson, despite playing severely injured, remains the team's top scorer with 16 points (2 goals / 14 assists). Pittsburgh: The Penguins have the luxury of sending out a pair of Conn Smythe Trophy winners in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who guided the team to Cup titles in 2016 and 2009, respectively. Crosby had scored in three straight games prior to Tuesday's 2-1 setback and is tied for second in the postseason in scoring with 19 points. Malkin scored Pittsburgh's lone goal in Game 6 to boost his playoff-leading total to 24 points (7 goals / 17 assists). Fleury was not Pittsburgh's problem (lack of scoring was) but Murray has been terrific since replacing him, turning aside 96 of 101 of shots (.950 SP). The pick: The Penguins are big favorites here at home in Game 7 but they have a checkered history in winner-takes-all matchups on home ice, with an all-time record of just 3-7! Similarly, Ottawa has never won a Game 7 (0-5 in its previous tries) but note that Anderson is 3-1 with a 0.76 goals-against average in his last four starts when facing elimination. Losing here in Game 7 would mean failing to defend last year's Stanley Cup championship for for Pittsburgh while for Ottawa, a win would be a jubilant upset. The pressure is all on Pittsburgh and I'll make Ottawa an 8* play. |
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05-25-17 | Mariners v. Nationals -138 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -138 | 4 h 21 m | Show |
The set-up: The Mariners and Nationals will wrap up a three-game IL series with this 12:05 ET start in Washington. The game time has been moved up due to rain in the forecast and the Mariners might welcome a rain out, as they have never won a game in the nation's capital. Washington's 5-1 victory Wednesday followed Tuesday 10-1 win and improved the Nationals' record in the all-time series to 13-1, including a perfect 8-0 at Nationals Park. The Tuesday and Wednesday results leave Seattle with five consecutive one-run performances and a 7-18 road record. The Nats are 28-17 overall, including 14-7 at home. |
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05-24-17 | Reds v. Indians -171 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -171 | 10 h 17 m | Show |
The pitching matchup: Lisalverto Bonilla (0-2 & 6.38 ERA) will take the mound for the Reds and Trevor Bauer (4-4 & 6.65 ERA) for the Indians. Bonilla had an awful relief appearance back in April and then last Friday, sustained his second straight losing start loss in a row when he ran into trouble in the sixth inning at home vs. the Rockies, allowing four runs (including a three-run HR) as part of Colorado's eventual eight-run inning. In three 2017 appearances (two starts), he allowed 17 hits (four HRs) and 13 ERs in 18 1/3 innings, as opponents have batted .342 against him. Bauer recorded his second consecutive victory after allowing three runs and striking out a season-high nine in 5 2/3 innings at Houston on Friday in a 5-3 win. Bauer owns a 1-2 career mark with a 5.52 ERA against the Reds. The pick: The Indians' starting rotation has gotten off to a slow start this season and Bauer, with his 6.65 ERA has been part of the problem. However, he has posted back-to-back wins (has allowed three ERs in each outing) and the Indians have dominated the Reds as of late (won seven of last eight meetings). What's more, Bauer does own a career 7-3 interleague record with a 2.74 ERA in 16 appearances, including 15 starts. See above for a reminder of just how bad Cincy's Bonilla has been in his limited action of 2017 and it's no surprise I'm making Cleveland an 8* play in this one. |
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05-24-17 | Blue Jays -110 v. Brewers | Top | 8-4 | Win | 100 | 5 h 8 m | Show |
The set-up: The Blue Jays edged the Brewers 4-3 on Tuesday and will conclude this two-game IL series, as well as a seven-game road trip, with this Wednesday afternoon game at Miller Park. Toronto lost three of its first four on the trip but avoided a sweep in Baltimore by winning 3-1 on Sunday, They now have a chance to finish 4-3 on the trip. Milwaukee kicked off a six-game homestand with its second straight loss after winning four in a row. The Brewers had won three straight and six of their previous seven at home prior to Tuesday. |
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05-23-17 | Cardinals v. Dodgers OVER 7 | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -110 | 14 h 47 m | Show |
The set-up: The 22-19 St. Louis Cardinals and the 26-19 Los Angeles Dodgers were both off on Monday and get together at Dodger Stadium Tuesday night for the opener of a three-game series. The Cardinals snapped a four-game losing slide with an 8-3 victory over San Francisco on Sunday. The Dodgers won 6-3 at home over the Marlins on Sunday and have followed a three-game skid of their own by winning four of their last five. St. Louis opens a six-game road trip with this game, while the Dodgers continue a 10-game homestand (the Cubs visit over the weekend). The pitching matchup: Lance Lynn (4-2 & 2.78 ERA) goes for the Cards and Clayton Kershaw (7-2 & 2.15 ERA) for the Dodgers. Lynn gave up two HRs for the second straight start last Tuesday and took his first loss since April 11 with a 6-3 setback versus Boston. However, he did work at least six innings for the fifth time in his last six outings, with St. Louis winning all but one of those starts. Lynn owns a 4-1 career mark in eight starts versus the Dodgers (4.04 ERA / Cards are 5-3). Kershaw has won three CY Young awards and is off a brilliant performance in his last outing on Wednesday, scattering three hits over seven scoreless innings in a 6-1 victory at San Francisco. Kershaw has fared well against St. Louis in the regular season, posting a 6-5 career mark with a 3.18 ERA in 15 outings, as opposed to an 0-4 record in the playoffs. The pick: The over/under number is always tantalizingly low in a Kershaw start and note that Lynn has allowed two HRs in each of his last two outings. He'll face an LA lineup which has averaged 5.74 RPG in going 16-7 at home and Kershaw could easily have his hands full with a St. Louis team which is 10-6 on the road (averaging 5.44 RPG), after erupting for 43 runs en route to back-to-back three-game sweeps at Atlanta and Miami from May 5-10. Make the Over an 8* play. |
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05-23-17 | Celtics v. Cavs OVER 216 | Top | 99-112 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 26 m | Show |
The set-up: With no Issiah Thomas and facing a 21-point third quarter deficit, the Celtics clawed their way back against the Cavs in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday in Cleveland. Incredibly, LBJ was held without a point over the game's final 16 1/2 minutes and when Avery Bradley's three-point bounced on the rim and fell in with 0.1 seconds left in the game, Boston had an improbable 111-108 victory. The top-seeded Celtics broke the Cavaliers' record-tying 13-game postseason winning streak and limited red-hot forward LeBron James to 11 points, his fourth-lowest output in 210 career playoff games. According to cleveland.com, LBJ's teams are 1-10 in the playoffs when he scores 15 or fewer points. However, LBJ is 20-0 in playoff series in which his team won the first two games,and the Cavaliers are 14-0 in those sets. James hasn't lost a playoff series against an Eastern team since the second round in 2010, when the Celtics knocked out Cleveland in six games. Boston: "We were playing way better. I don't know how to phrase it other than that - we were playing way better," Boston head coach Brad Stevens told reporters of the difference between Sunday's win and a 44-point loss in Game 2. "We were getting good shots on offense and playing with great purpose, and on defense I thought we were much better than the score indicated. I think that when you play better, you feel better." Marcus Smart was a non-factor by averaging five points on 2-of-11 shooting over the first two games but he was 7-of-10 from three-point range while producing 27 points and seven assists in Game 3. Kelly Olynyk, a hero for Boston in Game 7 against Washington with 26 points, had scored just two points (on 1 of 8 shooting) in the first two games but had 15 points on Sunday. Avery Bradley scored 20 points and made the game-winning three-pointer. Cleveland: "I had a tough game, period," James told reporters. "I didn't have it. That's all I've got to say about my performance." LBJ entered Sunday on a tear with eight consecutive 30-point efforts, averaging 34.3 points before he basically disappeared in the second half by missing eight of nine shots and finishing 4-of-13 from the floor. "No blame," head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. "We're all to blame. We lost; it happens. For a guy who played great for five straight months, he's got to have a bad game sooner or later. He's human. He didn't shoot the ball well. It wasn't his ordinary game." The Cavs have to be thrilled about Kevin Love's play, as the PF has three straight double-doubles, averaging 27.0 & 11.3 in the series while making 17-of-31 three-point attempts.Kyrie had a poor Game 1 but has averaged 26.0 PPG the last two on 18 of 26 shooting. Center Tristan Thompson is averaging 15.0 & 8.0 in the series. The pick: Boston trailed 2-0 in the first round against Chicago, but won the next four. However, the Cavs AIN'T the Bulls! No one expects Smart and Olynyk to repeat their Game 3 performances and EVERYONE expects LBJ will bounce back. Still, Cleveland could sure use a better (any?) effort from its bench, after Cleveland reserves scored only nine points in Game 3. The pointspread is understandably high but the over/under number is well within reach. Make the Over a 10* play. |
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05-23-17 | Tigers v. Astros UNDER 8.5 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 100 | 12 h 57 m | Show |
The set-up: The Astros got swept in a three-game home series by the Indians over the weekend but still opened the new week with MLB's best record. Four Houston pitchers combined on a one-hitter in Monday's 1-0 victory over the Tigers, as Houston became the first team in the majors to reach 30 wins while also establishing the best 45-game start (30-15) in franchise history. Detroit has now dropped five of its last eight games to fall under .500 at 21-22. Monday's setback occurred in the opener of the team's 11-game road trip. The pitching matchup: Jordan Zimmermann (4-2 & 6.25 ERA) gets the nod for Detroit and Lance McCullers (4-1 & 2.65). Zimmermann is hoping to begin a turnaround to a season in which he has given up four or more runs in six of his first eight starts. Maybe it will start against Houston, as Zimmermann is 2-2 with a 2.93 ERA in five career starts against the Astros (teams are 3-2). McCullers scattered three hits over six scoreless innings to defeat 3-0 Miami in his last outing (Wednesday). That makes him the the first Houston pitcher to work at least six innings without allowing an earned run in three consecutive starts since Roy Oswalt did it back in 2008. McCullers won his lone career start against Detroit in 2015, when he gave up two runs on six hits in six innings (3.00 ERA).
The pick: McCullers is off to an excellent start in 2017 and here at home, owns a 2.08 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in four starts (he's 2-0 and the team 4-0!). As for Zimmermann, he last faced Houston on April 30, 2014, allowing seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 shutout innings. He's pitched reasonably well at Minute Maid Park with a 3.42 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings over four career starts there. Make the Under an 8* play. |
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05-23-17 | Penguins v. Senators +136 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 136 | 12 h 56 m | Show |
The set-up: Remember those Pittsburgh offensive woes? The defending champs were held to one goal in each of the first three games of the Eastern Conference finals against the Senators and were lucky to only be down 2-1 in the series (Pens won Game 2, 1-0!). However, the team made a goalie switch, Murray for Fleury, and while Murray has been excellent (Fleury sure wasn't the problem), the change has definitely sparked the team and awoken the Pittsburgh offense. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 3-0 lead in a "must win" Game 4 and held on for a 3-2 win. Then, back in Pittsburgh for Game 5, the Pens took a 4-0 first-period lead and won going away, 7-0! The series is back in Ottawa for Game 6 tonight, with Pittsburgh on the verge of returning to the Cup Finals. Ottawa head coach Guy Boucher has grown comfortable playing the underdog card in these playoffs and raised a few eyebrows and many sarcastic quips over social media after essentially "crowning" the Penguins after the barrage. "We know they're a better team. Everybody knows that on the planet," he said. Pittsburgh: We've been really good at just focusing on the game at hand regardless of the situation, good or bad," captain Sidney Crosby told reporters on the heels of scoring in his third straight contest on Sunday. "We've had a lot of different things happen throughout the year where we've just had to focus on that next game and that will have to be the same approach here heading into Game 6." Evgeni Malkin (NHL-best 17 assists, 23 points) notched three assists to push his career playoff total to 98, moving him past team owner Mario Lemieux (96) for second on the franchise's all-time list. However, the most impressive part of Sunday's 7-0 win was that seven different players scored a goal! Pittsburgh's third line of Bryan Rust (goal, assist), Nick Bonino (two assists) and Carter Rowney (three assists) combined for seven points in Game 5. Matt Murray, who recorded his second career postseason shutout following a 25-save performance, has turned aside 68 of 71 shots (.958 SP) since replacing Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 3's 5-1 loss. He owns a 17-6 record in 24 playoff appearances. Ottawa: Captain Erik Karlsson (team-leading 13 assists, 15 points) has been playing with two hairline fractures in his left heel but is expected to be back in the lineup after receiving a bit of a breather with Sunday's contest well out of hand. "We decided to shorten the bench a bit and come back (fresher) for the next one," Karlsson told reporters, with Boucher admitting as much in resting fellow defenseman Cody Ceci and forward Derick Brassard in the final period. Boucher also scoffed at the notion of starting backup Mike Condon over Craig Anderson, who will be back in net after being pulled twice for four goals on 14 shots in Game 5. The pick: History doesn't favor the Senators in this spot, as Ottawa is 0-5 when trailing a best-of-seven series by a 3-2 margin and the team has only forced a Game 7 on two occasions. However, the Senators have had a terrific playoff run and the Senators plan on retreating to the style that brought them to the Eastern Conference finals. Expect the neutral zone to be a crowded piece of ice Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centre, as except for Game 5, Ottawa's 1-3-1 system has been largely responsible for flustering Pittsburgh's offense. Ottawa is "down to its last out" and I expect the Senators to bring their "A game!" Make Ottawa a 10* play. |
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05-23-17 | Padres v. Mets -140 | Top | 3-9 | Win | 100 | 11 h 58 m | Show |
The set-up: The Mets were pounded 12-5 on Sunday by the Angels, suffering their eighth loss in their last 10 outings to fall to 18-24. They get set to open a three-game home series Tuesday against San Diego. The Padres won 5-1 on Sunday but it was only the team's third win in its last 13 encounters, as the Padres come into this series with a MLB-worst 16-30 record (minus-$1160 moneyline mark ranks second-worst). The set-up: Jhoulys Chacin (4-3 & 4.61 ERA) gets the ball for the Padres and Matt Harvey (2-3 & 5.56 ERA) for the Mets. Chacin is off an excellent start, allowing one run on just two hits and striking out eight in seven innings versus Milwaukee last Wednesday. He took a no-decision in the Brewers' 3-1 win at San Diego. Chacin has been brutal on the road in 2017, as he owns a bloated 8.77 ERA while permitting hitters to bat .330 against him. Chacin's road troubles have extended to Citi Field, where he has posted a 1-2 career record with a 5.30 ERA. He's 1-4 with a 4.98 ERA in six career starts against the Mets (teams are 2-4). Matt Harvey owns an 0-3 mark and a 6.55 ERA in his last six starts. He allowed three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision at Arizona, agme the D'backs won 5-4 in 11 innings. Harvey has as many walks (21) as strikeouts in his last six, while salso urrendering eight HRs in his last five contests. Harvey has posted a 2-1 record with a solid 3.38 ERA in four career starts against San Diego (Mets are 2-2), with a season-best 10-strikeout performance over six innings in a 4-3 win on May 8, 2016. The pick: Patience is starting run thin with Harvey but he owns decent numbers against the Padres and Chacin has been a awful pitcher on the road in 2017, making the Mets an 8* play. |
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05-22-17 | White Sox v. Diamondbacks -174 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 14 h 44 m | Show |
The set-up: The White Sox opened their 10-game road trip with four straight losses, including the first of a four-game series in Seattle on Thursday. However, Chicago took the final three games of its series in Seattle, capping the successful weekend with Sunday's 8-1 win. Chicago allowed a total of three runs from Friday through Sunday and open a three-game interleague series tonight in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. Arizona won Friday and Saturday at San Diego (scored a total of 19 runs) but saw its five-game winning streak snapped with Sunday's 5-1 loss. The pitching matchup: Miguel Gonzalez (3-4 & 4.29 ERA) will start for Chicago and Zack Greinke (5-2 & 3.09 ERA) for Arizona. Gonzalez lost his fourth consecutive start this past Wednesday in Anaheim against the Angels. He allowed five runs on six hits and issued a season-high five walks over 5 2/3 innings. He has now surrendered five or more runs three times during his skid, while registering more than two strikeouts just once. Gonzalez settled for a no-decision in his only career outing against Arizona in 2013 while with Baltimore, despite allowing only two runs over seven Innings (2.57 ERA but his team lost). Greinke was not sharp against the New York Mets on Tuesday but came away with his fourth straight win, despite giving up four runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. It marked only the third time nine starts this season that he has allowed more than three runs. However, Grienke has not pitched well against Chicago during his career, going 7-10 with a 4.14 ERA in 23 starts (team is 10-13) and three relief appearances. The pick: Gonzalez has given up 34 hits and 19 runs (18 earned) in his past four starts covering 23 1/3 innings (6.94 ERA). He is 1-3 with a 4.88 ERA in five road starts in 2017 (team is 2-3) with a 1.60 WHIP. In contrast, Greinke is 4-0 in six home starts (team is 5-1), posting a 2.82 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. Make Arizona an 8* play. |
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05-22-17 | Warriors v. Spurs OVER 216 | Top | 129-115 | Win | 100 | 13 h 8 m | Show |
he set-up: The Warriors are poised to close out the Spurs and clinch a third straight trip to the NBA Finals as the two teams meet tonight in San Antonio. As expected, the Spurs put up a much better effort at home in Game 3 than they managed in Game 2 but the end, the absence of Kawhi Leonard left them without a go-to scorer to combat Golden State's scoring runs, as they fell 120-108. Golden State; Kevin Durant took control of Game 3 with 19 of his 33 points in the third quarter, as the rest of Golden State's starters all scored in double digits. Curry had 21 points with Green going for 10-7-7. Of note, McGee replaced an injured Pachulia at center and scored 16 points in just 13 minutes plus Thompson scored 17 points, matching his total from the first two contests. Pachulia (heel) sat out Game 3 and is questionable for Monday. but that hardly matters. San Antonio: Leonard is a near-certainty to miss the contest due to an ankle injury plus PF forward David Lee (knee) also could sit out. The shorthanded Spurs will continue to lean on the likes of 39-year-old Ginobili, who scored 21 points in 18 minutes on Saturday. "The competitiveness was great," Popovich told reporters of his club after Game 3. "Every time you look up, you're playing against four All-Stars, so you better be pretty perfect, and competitiveness-wise, I couldn't ask for anything more. We turned it over too much, and we've got to make some more shots. But it's a helluva team." The pick: The Spurs could have received a shot of confidence by the Celtics' upset of the Cavs last night but on the flip side, the Warriors should also now be forewarned about what can happen when a team "let's up." Kevin Durant went 11-of-19 from the floor in Game 3 to mark his fifth straight postseason game in which he's shot 50 percent or better plus Stephen Curry is averaging 30 points on 55.6 percent shooting in the first three games of the series. Golden State has now won all 11 games in this postseason and just in case anyone has forgotten, the Warriors have won 26 of their past 27 contests, overall. The total has opened slightly higher than in Game 3 but I'm still making the Over a 10* play. |
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05-22-17 | Ducks v. Predators -143 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 12 h 8 m | Show |
The set-up: The Nashville Predators can advance to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in franchise history when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night in Game 6. Nashville's 3-1 victory at Anaheim on Saturday pushed the Ducks to the brink of elimination, as the Predators own a 3-2 in the series. Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne was spectacular again on Saturday with 32 saves. Anaheim's starting goaltender John Gibson left Game 5 with a lower-body injury, knocking him out of the final two periods of Game 5. Gibson said after the game he would play in Game 6, but head coach Randy Carlyle was more cautious when the team arrived late Sunday afternoon in Nashville, saying Gibson would be reevaluated in the morning. Anaheim: With the murky status of Gibson, Anaheim could be pinning its "must-win hopes" on backup Jonathan Bernier, who turned aside 16 of 18 shots Saturday but hasn't made a start since April 9. Making matters even more difficult, the Ducks will have to go without 30-goal scorers Rickard Rakell and Patrick Eaves, who both stayed back in Orange County with lower-body injuries, not traveling to Nashville. What's more, center Ryan Kesler has been limited to just three assists over the past nine games. Nashville: The Predators have to be thrilled that they won Game 5 with their top two centers, Ryan Johansen (compartment syndrome surgery in left thigh) and Mike Fisher (undisclosed injury), on the shelf. They have also played the entire series without Craig Smith (undisclosed) and Kevin Fiala (fractured leg). Pontus Aberg drew back into the lineup and scored the winning goal just over midway through the third period for his first playoff goal, while Frederick Gaudreau played well defensively and had a winning record on face-offs, going 10-4 in his first playoff match. Gaudreau became the team's 18th forward to play in the postseason, tying an NHL record. Aberg and Austin Watson, are the 16th and 17th Predators to score goals in the playoffs. The pick: One way to look at this is that while Nashville is 10-3 at home in the playoffs the past two postseasons, all three losses have come against the Ducks, including this series' game 4 loss, which evened the series at two-all. However, the Ducks are missing two key goal scorers and somehow have to solve Rinne. No opponent has so far in the 2017 playoffs, as Rinne owns a 1.62 GAA and .942 SP. Considering that the Ducks are 2-for-30 on the power play in their last 10 postseason contests, breaking through against Rinne seems like a stretch. In contrast, Anaheim's goaltending situation is a question mark, at best. Nashville's ability to replace an injured player and have that replacement come through is just the latest example of how depth is driving this team to heights it's never reached before. Make Nashville an 8* play. |
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05-22-17 | Angels v. Rays UNDER 8 | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 14 m | Show |
The set-up: The LA Angels will visit the Tampa Rays on Monday to open a four-game series, with both teams sporting identical 23-23 records.The Rays saw their four-game winning steak snapped with a 3-2 loss to New York on Sunday but have won their last three series after taking two of three from the Yankees over the weekend. Meanwhile the Angels have captured five of their last seven games, including a 12-5 road victory over the New York Mets on Sunday in which they belted four HR. Mike Trout, who is batting .350 on the season, hit one of the LA's homers and added a double as he has now reached base in 38 of the 40 games in which he has played this year. However, Albert Pujols (right hamstring) has missed three straight contests and is listed day-to-day. The pitching matchup: JC Ramirez (3-3 & 3.97 ERA) gets the ball for LA and Jake Odorizzi (3-2 & 3.16 ERA) for the Rays. Ramirez has completed at least five innings in all seven starts this season and limited opponents to three or fewer runs five times. However, has managed to record just one victory in that five-game span, although the Angels are 4-1 in those games. Ramirez opened the season 2-0 in three relief stints but will now make an eighth straight start. He has worked two scoreless innings of relief versus the Rays in his career. Odorizzi allowed four runs on seven hits over six innings his last time out at Cleveland (won ), after allowing one run in each of his previous three starts. He has held opponents to a .195 batting average and has a 0.89 WHIP this season but needs to cut down on the long balls, having surrendered seven HRs in seven outings. While it's a small sample size, Odorizzi is 0-3 with a 6.98 ERA against the Angels in four career starts (team is 1-3). The pick: Despite LA's 12-run outburst at Citi Field on Sunday, the Angels are averaging only 3.57 RPG in 23 road games this season (just 8-15). Odorizzi's LT record against LA is poor but his 2017 WHIP and opponents BA (see above for both numbers) are impressive. Likewise, Ramirez has found a home as a starter for LA. Make the Under a 10* play. |
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05-21-17 | Celtics +17 v. Cavs | Top | 111-108 | Win | 100 | 13 h 40 m | Show |
The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers have had their way with the Celtics in both games in Boston, winning 117-104 (wasn't as close as the final) and 130-86 (it was as bad as the score indicates). They now return home and look (expect?) to take a 3-0 series lead when they host the Celtics in Sunday's Eastern Conference finals' matchup. Things have gone from bad to worse for Boston since that Game 2 blowout, as PG Isaiah Thomas (hip) has been ruled out for the rest of the postseason. |
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05-21-17 | Rangers v. Tigers UNDER 8.5 | Top | 5-2 | Win | 105 | 12 h 15 m | Show |
The set-up: The Tigers ended the Rangers' 10-game winning streak. Miguel Cabrera returned to the lineup from a three-game injury absence and homered, one of four hit by Detroit. J.D. Martinez continued his torrid pace by launching his sixth HR in eight contests since making his season debut on May 12. The Tigers will be starting an 11-game road trip on Monday (it begins with four against major league-best Houston) but first must solve a pitcher that has owned them. The pitching matchup: Yu Darvish (4-2 & 2.76 ERA) takes the mound for Texas up against Detroit's Matthew Boyd (2-3 & 5.18 ERA). Darvish has won all six career starts against Detroit, although his ERA is not "lights out" (3.46). However, he enters on a five-start unbeaten streak, coming off permitting just one run on four hits over seven innings to beat Philadelphia 5-1 last Tuesday. He's 3-0 in his five-game unbeaten streak with Texas going 5-0 in those games. Boyd will need to bounce back from a dreadful performance against Baltimore last Tuesday, when he tied a season low with 2 1/3 innings pitched, getting battered for seven runs on eight hits, as the Tigers lost 13-11 in 13 innings. However, that awful outing was preceded by a string of three straight quality starts, although the Tigers lost all three of them. He is 1-3 with a 5.24 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers. The pick: Let's give Boyd a 'mulligan" for his last outing and expect that the ESPN cameras will motivate him. As noted above, Darvish needs no extra motivation when pitching against the Tigers (he has to be full of confidence) plus his current run of five starts in which Texas has won all five (Darvish owns a 2.38 ERA), surely won't hurt that confidence. Make the Under an 8* play. |
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05-21-17 | Senators v. Penguins UNDER 5 | Top | 0-7 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 29 m | Show |
The set-up: With the series tied at one-all, the Senators used a blistering-hot start (4-0 first-period lead) to put the Penguins on their heels in Game 3. However, the Penguins returned the favor in Game 4, getting out to a 3-0 lead from which Ottawa wouldn't recover, as Pittsburgh tied the series at two-all with a 3-2 Game 4 win. The series shifts to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Sunday afternoon. Ottawa: "They played with urgency, which was to be expected. Stanley Cup champions, they bounce back in every series," head coach Guy Boucher told reporters after the Penguins matched their sum goal total from their first three contests in Game 4's win. Ottawa was able to get just three shots in the first three of four power-play opportunities in Game 4 and is no a woeful 0-for-25 with the man advantage in its last nine contests. Karlsson has recorded an assist in back-to-back contests (leads the team with 15 playoff points) and is averaging a robust 28:25 of ice time in the postseason despite playing with two hairline fractures in his heel that presumably will require attention in the off-season. Pittsburgh: After scoring just one goal in each of the first three games against Ottawa, the Penguins had three goals before the second period was over in Game 4. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby set up defenseman Olli Maatta's game-opening goal and added a power-play tally for his first multi-point performance since sustaining a concussion on Washington defenseman. Jake Guentzel notched two assists on Friday to increase his point total to 16 (nine goals, seven assists), which is five shy of the NHL rookie record for a single playoff year - set by Minnesota's Dino Ciccarelli in 1981 and matched by Philadelphia's Ville Leino in 2010. Of course, the goalie switch from Fleury to Murray also played out well, as Murray saved 24 of 26 shots. The pick: Are Pittsburgh's offensive woes now a thing of the past? I'm not syure about that. Ottawa's Craig Anderson allowed three goals on Friday for the first time since Game 5 of the second-round series versus the New York Rangers. However, note that he has had better statistics in the playoffs on the road (2.02 goals-against average, .927 save percentage) than at home. Murray's play sparked the Pens to last year's Stanley Cup win and I expect another excellent game from him. Also, let's not ignore Ottawa's 0 for 25 run on the power play! Make the under a 10*. |
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05-21-17 | Giants +144 v. Cardinals | Top | 3-8 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 25 m | Show |
The set-up: All of a sudden, the Giants are getting timely hits and starting to win games. San Francisco used a four-run ninth inning against the New York Mets back on May 10th to post its first road victory when trailing in the 9th inning in over a year. After a 5-2 homestand, the Giants then notched a second 9th-inning comeback win in the series opener on Friday against the Cards, scoring all six of their runs after the sixth inning. Last night, Christian Arroyo's two-run double in the 13th broke a scoreless tie in Saturday's 3-1 triumph. San Francisco will go for a three-game sweep in St. Louis today, eyeing its eighth win in nine tries (after a 12-24 start to 2017). St. Louis has now dropped a season-high four straight (including two in 13 innings), to fall to 21-19, 2 1/2 games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cardinals' starting pitching has yet to give up a run over 15 innings in this series, but the bullpen has been pounded for nine runs (eight earned) in just seven innings and during the team's four-game slide, owns a 6.75 ERA. The pitching matchup: Matt Cain (3-1 & 4.04 ERA) will be on the mound for the Giants and Adam Wainwright (3-3 & 5.31 ERA) for the Cards. Cain became the 12th pitcher in club history to reach 2,000 career innings Monday, getting his first win since April 24 after throwing a season-high 112 pitches while permitting one run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (Giants won 8-4). The three-time All-Star is showing signs of regaining some of his past form, having allowed fewer than three ERs in six of his last seven starts. However, Cain has struggled more versus the Cardinals than any other NL team over his career, going 2-5 with a 6.19 ERA in 12 games (11 starts). Wainwright proved to be effectively wild last Sunday in a victory against the Chicago Cubs, yielding only four hits while walking a season-high four across seven scoreless inning. It's been a struggle for Wainwright in 2017, as Sunday's outing marked only the second time this year that he has worked at least six innings. Wainwright is 5-7 with a 3.27 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts) against the Giants. The pick: I like what I'm seeing from the Giants recently and as noted above, Cain is showing real signs of once again being a solid starter. Go with the flow, the Giants are surging and the Cards are stumbling and bumbling. Make San Francisco an 8* play. |
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05-21-17 | Yankees v. Rays UNDER 8 | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 5 h 21 m | Show |
The pitching matchup: CC Sabathia (3-2 & 4.93 ERA) takes the mound for New York up against Tampa's Chris Archer (3-2 & 3.70 ERA). Sabathia allowed just five hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 7-1 victory at Kansas City last Tuesday. It was a welcome relief for the veteran who had given up 22 runs on 30 hits over 20 2/3 innings in his previous four outings. CC is very familiar with the Rays, having gone 15-14 (3.76 ERA) in 42 career starts against them (teams are 22-20). Archer's off a 'nightmare' 2016 season but started well in 2017. However, he's managed just one victory over his last six starts. He had put together three quality starts but then got pounded for seven runs (six earned) over five innings at Cleveland last Monday in a in an 8-7 loss. He's is 6-5 with a 2.63 ERA in 14 career starts against the Yankees (Rays are 8-6). The pick: Archer's troubles have come on the road in 2017, as the team is 4-1 in his home starts, with Archer posting a 2.94 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. As for CC, while he owns a bloated 7.41 ERA at Yankee Stadium, his road ERA is a respectable 3.45. Make the Under a 10* play. |
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05-20-17 | White Sox v. Mariners -165 | Top | 16-1 | Loss | -165 | 15 h 54 m | Show |
The set-up: Chicago began its 10-game road trip by getting swept in a three-game set in Anaheim by the Angels and then lost the series opener 5-4 in Seattle on Thursday to the Mariners. That made it seven straight road losses for the White Sox before Melky Cabrera delivered a two-out RBI double in the 10th while Jose Quintana and David Robertson combined on a one-hitter for the White Sox, as Chicago edged Seattle last night 2-1 in 10 innings. The series continues Saturday, with Friday's loss denying the Mariners a three-game winning streak and dropped them to 3-2 on their current seven-game homestand. The pitching matchup: Mike Pelfrey (0-4 & 5.70 ERA) gets the ball for Chicago and Seattle will give the nod to Yovani Gallardo (2-3 & 4.53 ERA). This is Pelfrey's 12th big league season but first with the White Sox. He's made five starts in 2017 but remains in search of his first win with Chicago. He has given up three or more runs in each of his five 2017 starts (White Sox are 1-4) and has yet to last six innings, working a season-high 5 1/3 in a loss at Kansas City on May 3. Pelfrey has yet to defeat Seattle in his career, although it's a small sample size with three starts (he's 0-1 with a 4.42 ERA and his teams are 1-2). Gallardo snapped a three-start winless streak Monday with a 6-5 win over Oakland in which he allowed three runs over 6 1/3 innings. It matched his longest outing of the season, as he also worked 6 1/3 innings at Oakland back on April 23. Gallardo has been outstanding against Chicago in three career starts (again, a small sample size), allowing three runs (just two earned) over 17 innings while posting a 1-0 record (1.06 ERA / teams are 2-1). The pick: Tonight's two starters have combined for 515 career major-league starts and 175 victories, although Gallardo has the better numbers. He's 110-86 with a 3.81 ERA versus Pelfrey's 65-95 record and 4.58 ERA. Not sure any of that matters too much here and neither has pitched very well so far in 2017. As noted, last night's 2-1 win by Chicago snapped its seven-game road losing streak so it would hardly be a surprise for the White Sox to lose here. Meanwhile, Seattle has overcome a 2-8 start to the current season by going 18-15 since, giving me every reason to think the Mariners can best a pitcher (Pelfrey) who owns a 5.70 ERA and has yet to complete six innings in any of his five starts this season. Make Seattle an 8* play. |
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05-20-17 | Warriors v. Spurs OVER 212 | Top | 120-108 | Win | 100 | 62 h 6 m | Show |
The set-up: The Cavs' routed the Celtics in Game 2 last night to join the Warriors at 10-0 this postseason. The Western Conference finals, after a three-fay break, return to center stage tonight in San Antonio. The Warriors hardly looked like a team that was in any danger of losing even a game in this series last Tuesday, with a 136-100 thrashing of the Spurs in Game 2. The Spurs watched Game 1 turn (the series, as well?) when Kawhi Leonard went down with an ankle injury. They are hoping (praying?) he can return to the lineup for Game 3, although according to San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich, a change of attitude is necessary whether or not Leonard is on the floor. "I don't think they believed," he told reporters after watching his team get crushed in Game 2. "And you have to believe. I don't think as a group they really did, which means probably a little bit feeling sorry for themselves psychologically, subconsciously, whatever psycho-babble word you want to use. … That was disappointing." The Warriors are feeling pretty good about themselves after shooting 56.2 percent from the floor in Game 2 while holding the Spurs to 37 percent. Golden State: Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry were both named to the All-NBA second team on Thursday while forward Draymond Green was a third-team selection. Curry is averaging 28.6-5.6-5.8 this postseason, while Durant has averaged 23.8 & 7.0 (he missed two games) and Green 14.1-8.9-7.1, Klay Thompson was left off the All-NBA teams and is one of the few Golden State players struggling in the postseason while averaging 14.6 points on 38.8 percent shooting, down from 22.3 points on 46.8 percent shooting in the regular season. Andre Iguodala (left knee soreness) and Zaza Pachulia (right heel contusion) are listed as questionable for Saturday's Game 3, although Iguodala participated in practice Friday and appears closer to a return than Pachulia at this point. San Antonio: Leonard has sat out two of the last three playoff games due to left ankle issues and did not do any on-court work while reporters were at the San Antonio practice facility on Thursday. If Leonard is limited or unable to go, the Spurs will have to find scoring from somewhere. The most likely source is LaMarcus Aldridge but after a solid Game 1, he managed only eight points on 4-of-11 shooting in Game 2. "LaMarcus has to score for us," Popovich told reporters. "He can't be timid. He turned down shots in the first quarter. He can't do it. You've got to score. Scoring has to come from some place." The pick: Leonard is averaging 27.7 points on 52.5 percent shooting in the postseason but is also San Antonio's best defensive player. No way Leonard is 100 percent and just how will the Spurs slow the Warriors, who are averaging 117.1 PPG this postseason? This is a pretty low over/under number for the Warriors and the first two games of this series have averaged final scores of 230 points, over two 'TDs' more than the opening total in this contest. Make the Over a 10* play. |
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05-20-17 | Predators +114 v. Ducks | Top | 3-1 | Win | 114 | 12 h 8 m | Show |
The set-up: Anaheim faced a "must win" situation in Game 4 of this series and took a 2-0 lead into the third period at Nashville but the Predators tied the score and sent the game into OT. However, the Ducks' dramatic overtime victory ended a 10-game home winning streak for Nashville and allowed Anaheim to reclaim the home ice advantage with the 3-2 win. It's back to the Honda Center for Game 5 but the Predators won the series opener in this building plus posted three wins at Anaheim in last year's first-round playoff matchup, including the winner-take-all Game 7. Nashville: The Predators not only lost at home for the first time in the playoffs on Thursday but they lost No. 1 center Ryan Johansen (team-leading 13 points, including three goals) for the rest of the playoffs. Johansen underwent emergency surgery on his left thigh following Thursday night's game and will require two to three months to recover. Johansen has not missed a game since his acquisition from Columbus in the middle of the 2015-16 season and his absence will put even more pressure on linemate Filip Forsberg, who notched the tying goal with 34.5 seconds in Game 4 to force overtime and is the first player in seven years to score in each of the first four games of a conference final (seven goals and five assists this postseason). The Predators also could be without captain and center Mike Fisher, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Game 4 and is questionable. Anaheim: The Ducks blew a two-goal lead in the final 6 1/2 minutes of regulation but avoided a potentially crushing defeat when Corey Perry scored his third overtime goal of the postseason off a fluke deflection. Corey Perry offered a simple assessment after scoring Anaheim's only goal on a bad-angle shot in Game 3, basically telling reporters you can't score if you don't shoot, and he reinforced that point with his decisive tally on Thursday. Perry threw a shot at the net from between the right circle and the boards that deflected off the stick of Predators defenseman P.K. Subban and past Rinne to give the Ducks new life. The pick: The Predators' magic carpet ride through the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs definitely hit a 'speed bump' with Thursday's loss but let's remember just how well Pekka Rinne has played. After falling behind 2-0 in Game 4, he stonewalled the Ducks until the Predators tied the game and even the Ducks will admit that their game-winner on Thursday was flukea . The cold hard facts are that Rinne owns a 1.66 GAA and .940 SP this postseason. Nashville has yet to lose consecutive games in this year's playoffs (suffered its fourth loss on Thursday) and after the team's previous three losses, Rinne has led the Predators to wins of 3-1, 3-1 and 2-1, turning aside 64 of 67 shots (.955 SP). Make Nashville a 10* play. |
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05-20-17 | Giants v. Cardinals UNDER 8 | Top | 3-1 | Win | 100 | 12 h 59 m | Show |
The set-up: The Cardinals' bullpen allowed six runs over the final three innings of Friday's 6-5 loss to the Giants, spoiling six scoreless innings by St. Louis starter Michael Wacha, not to mention and a three-run HR in the seventh by Dexter Fowler. This three-game series continues Saturday night, with the Cards looking to snap a season high-tying three-game losing streak. As for the Giants, going into the ninth inning of a May 10 game at the New York Mets, the Giants were trailing 3-2 and hadn't rallied for a road win when trailing in the ninth since 2015. However, they scored four runs in the ninth inning at New York to beat the Mets 6-5 that game. They had been back in San Francisco until last night (went 5-2) but after erasing a 5-4 deficit in the ninth Friday night at St. Louis, now own consecutive 9th-inning comeback wins on the road.f However, let's not get too carried away, as the Giants are only 7-15 on the road in 2017. The pitching matchup: Jeff Samardzija (1-5 & 5.26 ERA) will take the mound for the Giants and Carlos Martinez (3-3 & 3.88 ERA) for the Cards. Samardzija is once again failing to live up to his supposed potential. In fact, his first win of the 2017 came just this past Sunday at home against Cincinnati, which he held to three runs in 6 2/3 innings. Samardzija may have 28 strikeouts with no walks over his last three appearances but he owns just a single win in eight starts! He is 3-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 10 career starts against the Cards (teams are 6-4). Martinez is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts this month after leading his team past the Chicago Cubs last Saturday. He allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings against the defending champs, while striking out seven for the second consecutive start. He's 2-0 with 2.37 ERA in two career starts against the Giants. The pick: Samardzija owns a 6.66 ERA on the road in 2017 (four starts) but there's also that 47-8 KW ratio over his last six starts to consider. Yes, the Giants have hit better lately (have averaged 5.0 runs the last five games) but they still rank 29th in scoring (3.44 per), 27th in team BA (.234) and 30th in OPS (.646). As for the Cards, they are averaging a very modest 3.91 RPG in going 11-12 at home. The Under is a 10* play. |
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05-20-17 | Indians +115 v. Astros | Top | 3-0 | Win | 115 | 9 h 56 m | Show |
The set-up: The Indians took the opener of this three-game series last night, 5-3. Jason Kipnis hit his third HR and knocked in his seventh run during a five-game hitting streak, as he's beginning to find some rhythm at the plate after starting the season on the DL with a shoulder injury. The Astros (29-13) coughed up an early two-run lead Friday, as they saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. However, it was just Houston's second loss in its last 11 games, and at 29-13, the Astros still own MLB's best record. The Indians are defending AL champs but check in at a modest 21-19, although they are only one game out of first in the AL Central. |
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05-19-17 | Cavs v. Celtics OVER 219.5 | Top | 130-86 | Loss | -102 | 13 h 47 m | Show |
The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers have rolled to nine straight wins this postseason, averaging 114.8 PPG. After failing to cover their first two games against the Pacers, the Cavs are 6-0-1 or 7-0 ATS their last seven. In fact, Cleveland has now won 12 straight playoff games since being down 3-1 against the Warriors in last year's Finals, going 9-2-1 or 10-2 ATS. LBJ (38-9-7) and Kevin Love (32 & 12) led the way in Game 1's rout and Boston now has had just one day to regroup, as the Cavs will try to match the 1988-89 Lakers for the longest winning streak in NBA playoff history (13) in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Cleveland: LBJ is averaging 34.8 points, nine rebounds and 7.1 assists in the postseason and has scored 30 or more points in each of the last seven games. "He's playing at a high level, and that's the reason why we're riding him so much," Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. "When LeBron's playing at that level other guys just have to be solid and we have a good chance to win." Plenty of "solid play" in Game 1 came from PF Kevin Love,who added a career playoff-high 32 points to go with 12 rebounds plus center Tristan Thompson, who chipped in a career playoff-best 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting. Boston: The Celtics just survived a tough seven-game series against the Wizards to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2012 and can't be happy with their Game 1 effort. However, PG Isaiah Thomas maintains his team isn't intimidated. "They lace up their shoes just like us," Thomas told reporters on Thursday. "They just happened to play better than us in Game 1. We just gotta protect home court in Game 2 and get the win." That may be a little optimistic or Thomas may just be "whistling past the graveyard." After all, Thomas scored just 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting in the opener, marking the fourth time in the past six games he scored fewer than 20 points. Backup center Kelly Olynyk scored just two points in the opener, after scoring a playoff career-high 26 in the final game of the series against the Washington Wizards on Monday. The pick: Boston can't control or even slow down, LBJ. The Celtics need more offense from Isaiah Thomas, who nawas med All-NBA second team Thursday. He did have 10 assists to go along with 17 points in Game 1 and became the first Celtic since Rajon Rondo in 2012 with back-to-back playoff double-doubles. However, it wasn't nearly enough. Can Boston beat Cleveland? It doesn't look like it but the Celtics have averaged 110.0 PPG at home this season (including the playoffs) and I expect them to be MUCH better offensively in Game 2. Make the Over a 10* play. |
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05-19-17 | Royals v. Twins OVER 8 | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -119 | 12 h 27 m | Show |
The set-up: The 17-23 Kansas City Royals will be in Minnesota tonight for the opener of a three-game series with the 20-17 Twins. This series opens a 10-game road trip for the Royals, who are winless in five games against the Twins this season. Minnesota halted a three-game slide with a 2-0 victory over Colorado in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader but the Twins have scored just 14 runs in their last six contests. |
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05-19-17 | Penguins v. Senators OVER 5 | Top | 3-2 | Push | 0 | 12 h 27 m | Show |
The set-up: The Pittsburgh Penguins' high-octane offense averaged an NHL-best 3.39 goals per game in the regular season but in three games against Ottawa, the Penguins have scored just one goal in each game of this series. Kessel's third-period goal in Game 2 was enough to win but when Crosby scored for the Pens in Game 3, Ottawa already led 5-0. Game 4 of this series is clearly a pivotal one for the defending champs, as coming back from a 3-1 deficit may be too much to ask of a Pittsburgh team struggling on offense and decimated by injuries on the blue line. Adding more drama to the occasion, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters he'd reveal what he hopes to be his ace in the hole on Friday morning, with the disclosure of whether franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury or rookie Matt Murray will get the start in net! Pittsburgh: Fleury had been nothing short of brilliant while stepping in for an injured Murray (lower body), lifting the Penguins past Columbus and Washington and stopping 56 of 58 shots versus Ottawa in the first two games before getting shredded for four goals on nine shots in the first period of a Wednesday's 5-1 loss. The roles are somewhat reversed from last season when the 22-year-old Murray took over for a concussed Fleury and guided Pittsburgh to its fourth Stanley Cup title in franchise history. That aside, the Penguins still have their offensive woes to deal with. Those haven't just begun this series, as they come into this contest having mustered just nine tallies in their last six games, which follows them having scored 35 goals in their first nine of the playoffs. Ottawa: Head coach Guy Boucher offered his own take on the Penguins' netminding situation. "I don't care," Boucher said, according to the Ottawa Sun. "Whether it's (Fleury) or another goalie, it doesn't matter." Ottawa's 1-3-1 system is largely responsible for flustering Pittsburgh but the team's offensive 'explosion' (four, first-period goals) was a welcome sight in Game 3. Ottawa's offense was almost non-existent in Game 2, as the Senators failed to record a shot on goal for 18:53 bridging the second and third periods! Five different players scored in Wednesday's win with Ryan adding two assists (giving him five goals and eight assists) to close within one point of Karlsson's team-leading 14 points (two goals / 12 assists) this postseason. The pick: Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has chosen to keep everyone guessing as to the identity of his starting goalie on Friday and is that really a "winning strategy?" Time will tell. What I do see is the defending champs coming out strong. A team with the firepower of Malkin (6 G / 14 A), Kessel ( 6 G / 9 A), Crosby (5 G / 10 A) and Guentzel (9 G / 5 A) will not be shut down in a "must win" situation. Make the Over a 10* play. |
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05-19-17 | Nationals -152 v. Braves | Top | 4-7 | Loss | -152 | 12 h 53 m | Show |
The set-up: The Nationals and Braves meet in Atlanta this weekend for a three-game series between the first and second place teams in the NL East. While that is the case, it's more than just a footnote that the 25-15 Nats own an eight-game lead over the 16-22 Braves. Washington comes in with losses in five of their last six road contests but the Nats' first visit to the Braves' new ballpark (April 18-20) resulted in a three-game sweep at SunTrust Park for Washington. The first-place Nationals have lost six of their last 10 overall, while the Braves had won three in a row and five of six before getting 'beat up' 9-0 in the finale of a heated interleague series with Toronto on Thursday. The pitching matchup: Lefty Gio Gonzalez (3-1 & 2.47 ERA) gets the nod for the Nats up against the Braves' knuckleballer, R.A. Dickey (3-3 & 4.22 ERA). Gonzalez is off a solid start last Sunday but saw his winless streak extend to three outings despite allowing just one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings of a no-decision versus Philadelphia. Gonzalez has allowed six HRs in his last four starts and has struggled with his control, issuing 23 walks in his last six. He struggled "big time" against Atlanta last season (7.11 ERA in four starts) and is 4-9 with a 5.06 ERA in 17 career starts against them (teams are 6-11). Dickey's mark against the Nationals isn't too much better, as he permitted three runs in seven innings to take the loss on April 20 and fell to 4-8 with a 3.82 ERA in his career versus Washington over 15 starts (teams are 5-10). Dickey won his next two starts after that home loss to the Nats but lost his last time out, despite allowing just three runs on five hits in seven innings at Miami last Sunday. His problem lately has been keeping the ball in th park, as he's given up nine HRs in his last six starts. The park: Neither starter owns a good LT mark against their respective opponent in this one but the Nats have won 18 of their last 22 meetings with the Braves and are 39-13 against the Atlanta since the middle of the 2014 season. Throw in the fact that Atlanta's best hitter, Freddie Freeman (.341 BA, while leading the National League with 14 HRs), will be sidelined 10 weeks with a non-displaced left wrist fracture, and what's not to like about Washington in this game? Make the Nats an 8* play. |
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05-18-17 | Ducks v. Predators -145 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -145 | 13 h 12 m | Show |
Anaheim: Corey Perry was bumped off Anaheim's top line in Game 2 but scored for only the second time in the past 11 contests on a bad-angle shot in Game 3. However, the Ducks were unable to generate sustained pressure and in fact, failed to have a shot on goal in the final 11 minutes Tuesday. “You can’t score if you don’t get pucks towards the net with traffic and second opportunities,” Perry told reporters. “It’s something we’ve talked about, we’ve discussed and we got to do a better job.” Nashville: The West's No. 8 seed is on the verge of taking a 3-1 over the Pacific Division-winning Ducks. The Predators continue to receive excellent production from their blue-line corps, with Roman Josi delivering the decisive goal and Ellis adding an assist to boost their playoff totals to 10 points each, a franchise record for defensemen. Overall, the unit combined for more shots on goal (21) in Game 3 than the Ducks (20) did as a team, led by nine from Ellis - who failed to notch a shot in Game 2. Forward Filip Forsberg has scored in each game of the series, with Tuesday's tying tally in the third period boosting his playoff total to a team-leading six goals. The pick: Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle might have doubted the validity of the shot count in Game 3, but he and his players knew the ice was tilted in the Predators' favor. At one stretch that bridged the first and second periods, Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne has now allowed seven goals in six home playoff games, including one in each of the past five. Overall, here at Bridgestone, he has turned aside 167 of 174 shots on goal, for a save percentage of .960. Nashville is the first team to win 10 straight postseason home games since the Detroit Red Wings (1997-98). Can you say 11 in a row? Make Nashville a 10* play. |
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05-18-17 | Blue Jays v. Braves OVER 8 | Top | 9-0 | Win | 100 | 13 h 37 m | Show |
The set-up: Toronto opened the week having won seven of eight games and after a 2-11 start to 2017, sat at 17-21. The Blue Jays had to be confident as the new week began with a four-game, home-and-home IL series with the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta had lost 93 games in 2016 and opened the week at 13-21, having gone 7-15 since a 6-6 start. However, the Braves have won three consecutive games against the Blue Jays heading into Thursday’s finale of the series at SunTrust Park. The bad news for Atlanta is, first baseman Freddie Freeman left Wednesday’s 8-4 victory when he was hit by a pitch on the left wrist. Freeman, who started the day leading the National League in HRs while ranking in the top-10 in average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He is scheduled to undergo further testing Thursday. It's been a contentious series, as Toronto pitchers have hit seven Atlanta hitters in the past three games while allowing 27 runs during that stretch. It's led to two bench-clearing incidents in Wednesday's contest. The pitching matchup: Marcus Stroman (3-2 & 3.33 ERA) will take the mound for Toronto and Julio Teheran (3-3 & 4.08 ERA) will toe the rubber for Atlanta. Stroman has posted a 2.87 ERA over his last five starts, holding opponents to two runs or less four times in that span. Stroman pitched two complete games in his first four starts of 2017 but makes his first career appearance against Atlanta. Teheran won 3-1 at Miami last Saturday, allowing three hits with four strikeouts across six scoreless innings. He may be Atlanta's ace but in three career starts against Toronto (0-0 record with team going 2-1), he's posted a 6.60 ERA with five HRs allowed over 15 innings. The pick: The Blue Jays pitching staff has allowed 27 runs in the first three games of this series and while Stroman owns a 2.87 ERA over his last five starts, he's allowed 33 hits in 31 1/3 innings during those starts. That kind of ratio tends to catch up with a pitcher. As for Teheran, he not only owns that ugly 6.60 ERA in three career outings vs. Toronto, but before his strong outing last Saturday, he had surrendered 19 ERs over 21 1/3 innings in his four previous starts, going 1-3 with an 8.02 ERA and five HRs allowed. Make the Over a 10* play. |
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05-18-17 | Reds +1.5 v. Cubs | Top | 5-9 | Loss | -120 | 4 h 45 m | Show |
The set-up: The Chicago Cubs likely knew that after winning the team's first World Series in 2017, after a 108-year drought, that repeating would be no walk in the park. However, the Cubs surely didn't expect to be only 20-19 as they got set to play their 40th game of a 162-game schedule. The Cubs have overpowered the Reds in the first two games of this series, outscoring them 16-10 to improve to 4-1 against their National League Central rivals this season. The Reds have now lost five in a row to fall below .500 (19-20) and will try to avoid a sweep this afternoon against the Cubs, who hope to complete their first series sweep of the 2017 season. |
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05-17-17 | White Sox v. Angels -157 | Top | 8-12 | Win | 100 | 14 h 26 m | Show |
The set-up: The Angels blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Tuesday and fell behind in the 11th before posting a 7-6 victory, when Pujols delivered a run-scoring single to win it in the bottom of the 11th. The 21-21 Angels now look to complete a three-game home sweep over the 17-20 White Sox and extend their overall winning streak to four contests. The White Sox have opened a 10-game road trip 0-2 and have dropped five straight away from home to fall to 9-12 on the season on the road. The pick: The White Sox have lost eight of their last 10 contests and 10 of 14 this month, after going 13-10 in April. The Angels have won four of five while averaging 5.20 runs. Make LA an 8* play. |
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05-17-17 | Cavs v. Celtics +5 | Top | 117-104 | Loss | -110 | 13 h 40 m | Show |
The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers have rolled to eight straight wins this postseason, averaging 114.5 PPG. After failing to cover their first two games against the Pacers, the Cavs are 5-0-1 or 6-0 ATS their last six. In fact, Cleveland has now won 11 straight playoff games since being down 3-1 against the Warriors in last year's Finals, going 8-2-1 or 9-2 ATS with some guy LeBron averaging 34.9-9.7-7.8. Boston was considered the weakest No. 1 seed in a long time (maybe ever, since the league went to a 16-team playoff format) and right away, lost its first two home games in the first round, against the 41-41 Bulls (No. 8 seed). However, Rondo's injury gave the Celtics 'life' and they won and covered the final four games of that first-round series. Against Washington, the home team won all seven games (6-1 ATS) and Boston now draws the defending champs but has the homecourt edge. Cleveland: The Cavaliers haven't played since May 7 and hope to continue to ride the red-hot duo of forward LeBron James (34.4-9.0-7.1) and PG Kyrie Irving (23.8 & 5.8 APG) as they look to shake off the rust. Head coach Tyronn Lue says he hopes to get PF Kevin Love more involved in this series after he averaged just 13.8 points and 9.1 rebounds during the first two rounds. Love did averaged 23.7 points and 13 rebounds in three games against the Celtics this season (Cavs took three of the four). However, the Cavs may need more help from outside of their "Big Three," as Channing Frye is the fourth-best scorer at 8.8 PPG this postseason for Cleveland. Boston: The Celtics just survived a tough seven-game series against the Wizards to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2012. That series just ended Monday and now it's the defending champs on one days' rest. Boston knows it will be a huge underdog in this series. "We gotta get ready for the defending champs, we know that," PG Isaiah Thomas said after Monday's game. "The good thing about it is we've got homecourt advantage, so we're going to be ready on Wednesday to try to take care of home court. We know it's going to be tough but at this point, anything can happen, we really believe that." Thomas has carried Boston through most of the playoffs in an inspiring manner, averaging 25.4 PPG and APG this postseason. He had 29 points, 12 assists and just two turnovers in the Game 7 win over the Wizards and has had four 30-point outings (including 52 in Game 2 vs. Washington). Kelly Olynyk established a playoff career-best with 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the Game 7 win over the Wizards but the unsung Horford is also having a very good postseason, averaging 16.1-7.5-5.8 while shooting 64.0 percent. The pick: It's hard for most to ignore the Cavs going into Boston late this regular season (on April 5) and just 'toying' with the Celtics. LBJ had 36-10-6 in a 114-91 Cleveland win. However, let's not forget that the Warriors found themselves down 23 points in the third quarter of their Game 1 against the Spurs after a long rest and that game was in Oakland! I'm going to take the home dog and make Boston a 10* play. |
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05-17-17 | Penguins v. Senators +117 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 117 | 13 h 30 m | Show |
The set-up:The Pittsburgh Penguins' high-octane offense averaged an NHL-best 3.39 goals per game in the regular season but in two games against Ottawa, the Penguins have scored just one goal in each of the first two games and BOTH were played in Pittsburgh. Luckily for the Penguins, Kessel's third-period goal in Game 2 was enough to win, as Fleury was able to 'pitch' a 23-save shutout. The series now shifts to Ottawa, where the Senators have won three playoff games in a row, after dropping two of their first three games this postseason on home ice. Pittsburgh: The Penguins' offensive woes haven't just begun this series, as they come into this contest having mustered just eight tallies in their last five games, which follows them having scored 35 goals in their first nine of the playoffs. Evgeni Malkin set up Kessel on Monday to increase his point total to an NHL-best 20 (six goals, 14 assists), joining Mario Lemieux as the only players in franchise history to reach that plateau on three occasions. Still, in not for Fleury, Pittsburgh would be down 0-2. He's sporting a scintillating .977 save percentage in his last three contests after his franchise-leading 10th career postseason shutout in Game 2. Ottawa: The Senators' 1-3-1 defensive alignment is creating quite an obstacle in this conference final but Ottawa's offense was almost non-existent in Game 2. In fact, the Senators failed to record a shot on goal for 18:53 bridging the second and third periods! Ottawa could receive some welcome help as the series shifts to Canada's capital. Forward Viktor Stalberg and defenseman Mark Borowiecki, who coach Guy Boucher said "could be coming in at any moment." Stalberg has been sidelined since Game 6 of the second-round series versus the New York Rangers with an undisclosed injury while Borowiecki has been out since Game 2 of the first-round set against Boston with a lower-body ailment. Captain Erik Karlsson is playing with two hairline fractures in his foot, but the two-time Norris Trophy recipient still managed to record a team-high 26:59 of ice time in Game 2 and leads the team in scoring with 13 points (two goals / 11 assists). The pick: Why not another one-goal game here? It was 2-1 (OT) for Ottawa in Game 1 and 1-0 Pittsburgh in Game 2. For Ottawa, the Senators have now played a one-goal game in 11 of their 14 postseason contests. Ottawa seems to be getting healthier (see above) plus Karlsson has been great playing through his injuries. Meanwhile, the injuries keep piling up for the Penguins. Pittsburgh just lost another top defensemen when Justin Schultz joined Kris Letang and Trevor Daley on the sidelines with a shoulder injury in Game 2. The Penguins could also be minus winger Bryan Rust, who also suffered an upper-body injury in Monday's 1-0 victory. Head coach Sullivan listed Rust and Patric Hornqvist, who missed Game 2, as day-to-day. Too many question marks for the struggling Penguins. Make Ottawa a 10* play. |
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05-17-17 | Mets v. Diamondbacks UNDER 9.5 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 107 | 8 h 2 m | Show |
The set-up: The Mets have lost the first two of this three-game series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, 7-3 and 5-4. They have now lost six straight, while allowing opponents to average 7.8 runs during the team's slide. In contrast, the Diamondbacks have won five of their last seven and have upped their home record in 2017 to an impressive 17-8. That's quite an improvement for a team which was a woeful 33-48 at home in 2016, while going 69-93 overall, in finishing 22 games back of the division-winning Dodgers in the NL West. |
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05-16-17 | Spurs v. Warriors OVER 208.5 | Top | 100-136 | Win | 100 | 21 h 43 m | Show |
The set-up: The Warriors owned the league's best record at 67-15 and opened the postseason with back-to-back four-game sweeps of the Trail Blazers and Jazz. However, the well-rested Warriors were completely outplayed by the Spurs on Sunday UNTIL Kawhi Leonard went down with a sprained left ankle in the third quarter. Leonard landed on Golden State center Zaza Pachulia's foot after attempting a jump shot with 7:53 left in the third quarter, forcing him out of the game for good. You've all heard the controversy surrounding the play (intentional or not), so I'll move on. The Spurs were up by 23 points went Leonard left the game and the Warriors immediately went on an 18-0 run. Cutting to the chase, Golden State outscored San Antonio 58-33 after Leonard's exit en route to a 113-111 triumph. Leonard underwent an MRI on his left ankle/foot Monday. It came back negative, which keeps the door open for him to return when the series shifts to San Antonio on Saturday. However, the Most Valuable Player candidate is out for Game 2.
San Antonio: Leonard scored 26 points in 24 minutes before leaving Game 1 and while PF LaMarcus Aldridge tried to pick up the slack while posting 28 points, he was 'gassed' in the fourth quarter. Starting guards Mills (five points) and Green (eight points) have to be better, especially Mills, who was 1 of 8 from the floor (0 of 6 on threes). Gasol started at center and scored five points in only 16 minutes and PF Lee played 16 minutes off the bench, going scoreless. Pop made it very clear how he felt about Pachulia's actions but knows it's now time to "coach his team up."Golden State: The Warriors are well aware they 'stole' Game 1 and will have to be way better in Game 2, even with the Spurs playing without Kawhi. Curry (40) and K.D. (34) led the comeback on Sunday. Curry scored 26 of his 40 points after the break (19 in the third quarter) while Durant, who was hounded by Leonard for the first 28 minutes of the contest, saw things open up on the offensive end in the second half as well. However, Warriors must be somewhat concerned about Thompson, who had six points on 2 of 11 shooting. In nine postseason games, he has as many six-point games (two), as 20-point efforts, and is shooting 38.8% in the postseason. Andre Iguodala (left knee) logged only 10 minutes on Sunday and sat out the second half. Mike Brown insisted afterward it was more of a coach's decision than a necessity and Monday's MRI displayed no structural damage. Still, he's questionable for Game 2. The pick: The pointspread is higher in Game 2 (than the opener) with Leonard out and while the Warriors could roll over the Spurs in this one, I'd rather play the over. The Warriors have averaged 115.0 PPG this postseason and should top that here plus as the Spurs proved in Game 6 at Houston in scoring 114 points, also without Leonard, they don't rojust l over without their star. Make the Over a 10* play. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The set-up: One thing is for sure against Anaheim, NO lead is safe. Anaheim erased an early two-goal deficit to avoid falling into a 2-0 series hole Sunday night, following a pattern that saw it storm back from three goals down against Calgary and Edmonton in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Ducks scored four goals in about 19 minutes on Sunday to take a 4-3 lead into the third period. A late empty-netter made the final 5-3. Now it's on to Nashville, where the Ducks will need to win at least once, to earn back the home ice edge. The problem being, that the Predators are a perfect 5-0 this postseason at Bridgestone Arena. Anaheim: I wish we didn't get down in the first place," Ducks forward Rickard Rakell said. "It's almost like we feel, 'Oh, we've got nothing to lose now.' It's almost like that's when we play our best game. Maybe sometimes we shouldn't wait for that to get going." Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle made a calculated gamble in Game 2 when, with his team trailing by two goals, he shuffled his lines and replaced Corey Perry with rookie Ondrej Kase on the No. 1 unit with captain Ryan Getzlaf and Nick Ritchie. Kase scored the tying goal in the second period -- his first of the playoffs -- as part of a huge night for that line that saw Getzlaf collect three assists and Ritchie score the decisive tally, his second-game winner in three contests. Getzlaf has scored 18 points in the postseason, second to Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin. Now Carlyle needs to "wave his magic wand" once again. Ottawa: The Predators allowed more than three goals in this postseason for the first time in Sunday's 5-3 setback. Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne had been great up until Sunday, when he had a very shaky performance. "Now we’re heading home and have another opportunity at home," he said following Game 2. "That’s the best part of it." There is a "game within a game" developing between Nashville's Ryan Johansen and Anaheim's Ryan Kesler, with the Predators' top line center bristling at what he considers suspect tactics by his counterpart. That aside, Johansen scored one goal and set up another Sunday to give him 13 points, tying for the most in franchise postseason history. The pick: If any goalie deserves a 'mulligan' this postseason, it's Nashville's Pekka Rinne. He entered Sunday's game having allowed just 1.41 GPG with a save percentage of .950 in 11 playoff games. He'll be on home ice tonight, where he's turned aside 141 of 147 shots for a .959 save percentage in leading Nashville to a 5-0 record. Let me add that since back-to-back defeats against Anaheim a year ago here at home, the Predators have won nine straight playoff games at Bridgestone Arena. Make Nashville a 10* play. |
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05-16-17 | Ducks v. Predators -149 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 20 h 33 m | Show |
The set-up: One thing is for sure against Anaheim, NO lead is safe. Anaheim erased an early two-goal deficit to avoid falling into a 2-0 series hole Sunday night, following a pattern that saw it storm back from three goals down against Calgary and Edmonton in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Ducks scored four goals in about 19 minutes on Sunday to take a 4-3 lead into the third period. A late empty-netter made the final 5-3. Now it's on to Nashville, where the Ducks will need to win at least once, to earn back the home ice edge. The problem being, that the Predators are a perfect 5-0 this postseason at Bridgestone Arena. Anaheim: I wish we didn't get down in the first place," Ducks forward Rickard Rakell said. "It's almost like we feel, 'Oh, we've got nothing to lose now.' It's almost like that's when we play our best game. Maybe sometimes we shouldn't wait for that to get going." Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle made a calculated gamble in Game 2 when, with his team trailing by two goals, he shuffled his lines and replaced Corey Perry with rookie Ondrej Kase on the No. 1 unit with captain Ryan Getzlaf and Nick Ritchie. Kase scored the tying goal in the second period -- his first of the playoffs -- as part of a huge night for that line that saw Getzlaf collect three assists and Ritchie score the decisive tally, his second-game winner in three contests. Getzlaf has scored 18 points in the postseason, second to Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin. Now Carlyle needs to "wave his magic wand" once again. Ottawa: The Predators allowed more than three goals in this postseason for the first time in Sunday's 5-3 setback. Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne had been great up until Sunday, when he had a very shaky performance. "Now we’re heading home and have another opportunity at home," he said following Game 2. "That’s the best part of it." There is a "game within a game" developing between Nashville's Ryan Johansen and Anaheim's Ryan Kesler, with the Predators' top line center bristling at what he considers suspect tactics by his counterpart. That aside, Johansen scored one goal and set up another Sunday to give him 13 points, tying for the most in franchise postseason history. The pick: If any goalie deserves a 'mulligan' this postseason, it's Nashville's Pekka Rinne. He entered Sunday's game having allowed just 1.41 GPG with a save percentage of .950 in 11 playoff games. He'll be on home ice tonight, where he's turned aside 141 of 147 shots for a .959 save percentage in leading Nashville to a 5-0 record. Let me add that since back-to-back defeats against Anaheim a year ago here at home, the Predators have won nine straight playoff games at Bridgestone Arena. Make Nashville a 10* play. |
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05-16-17 | Astros v. Marlins UNDER 8.5 | Top | 12-2 | Loss | -110 | 19 h 46 m | Show |
The set-up: The Astros opened this four-game, home-and-home IL series with the Miami Marlins by taking Monday's contest, 7-2. Yuli Gurriel led the way with a grand slam, Houston's third in May, which sets a franchise record for one month. The 27-12 Astros own MLB's best record, are now 13-6 on the road and have won each of their three interleague games. Meanwhile, the Marlins are headed in the opposite direction. After opening the season at 10-8, the Marlins have gone 4-15 since, and have not won consecutive games since April 22-23. Houston owns an eight-game lead in the AL West, while Miami occupies the basement in the NL East at 14-23. The Marlins are already 10 games back of the Nationals in the division and the team's winning percentage of .378 is better than only San Diego, which is 15-25 (.375). The pitching matchup: Dallas Keuchel (6-0 & 1.69 ERA) takes the mound for Houston and Tom Koehler (1-1 & 5.60 ERA) for Miami. Keuchel will try to become MLB's first seven-game winner, after he beat the Yankees 3-2 last Thursday. It was his shortest outing of the year (aix innings) but he tied a season high with nine strikeouts and walked only one. He is tied for the MLB lead in innings pitched (58 2/3) and his ERA is third overall among qualified hurlers. The 2015 American League Cy Young Award winner allowed two unearned runs over seven innings in his only previous start against Miami, a game in which he took the loss. Koehler has finished as many as six innings only twice in his first seven starts of 2017 and has fallen shy of that mark three straight times, including a no-decision against St. Louis on Wednesday in which he gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings. He threw a season-high 99 pitches in that outing but for the first time in 2017, didn't allow a HR. He has won his only prior start against the Astros, although his ERA in that game was 5.40! The pick: Houston is 15 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2005 season (89-73) and Keuchel has regained his 2015 Cy Young form. As noted above, the Marlins are in a 4-15 funk which includes a 1-6 mark on their current homestand,. Miami has managed just six runs in its last three games, going 2 of 21 (.095) with RISP. I see little reason to think that the Marlins will 'touch' Keuchel. The Under is a 10* play. |
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05-16-17 | Nationals -160 v. Pirates | Top | 8-4 | Win | 100 | 19 h 39 m | Show |
The set-up: The Pirates lost six games in a row from May 7th through the 12th, scoring a total of only 13 runs during that skid. However, the team won 4-3 on Saturday and 6-4 (10 inn.) on Sunday at Arizona, before getting a break with no game scheduled on Monday. The Pirates had played for 17 consecutive days, so Monday's off day was a welcome relief, especially wit thhe team opening a three-game series versus the visiting Washington Nationals on Tuesday. The Nats own an NL-best 24-13 record and are 12-6 on the road, where Bryce Harper, he of the new one-year deal of $21.625 million, is batting a blistering .434 with six HRs and 16 RBI in away games in 2017! |
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05-16-17 | Braves v. Blue Jays -140 | Top | 9-5 | Loss | -140 | 16 h 41 m | Show |
The pitching matchup: Jaime Garcia (1-2 & 4.33 ERA) takes the hill for the Braves and Marco Estrada (2-2 & 3.12 ERA) for the Blue Jays. Garcia's had control issues lately (five walks in each of his last two starts) but he's kept Atlanta in his starts this season, with four of the six being decided by one or two runs (Braves are 3-3 in his starts). He gave up four runs on six hits over six innings in losing at the Astros 4-2 last Wednesday but that snapped a string of three consecutive starts with two runs or less allowed. Garcia has posted a 1.80 ERA while going 2-1 in three career starts against Toronto. Estrada has helped the Blue Jays recover from a rotten start to the season (Jays lost nine of 11 to begin 2017!), allowing two ERs or less in five of his past six starts (team is 4-2). He won for the second time in three starts in May on Thursday against Seattle, striking out eight while surrendering two runs on four hits in six innings. He's pitched well against Atlanta in his career, going 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA in 11 career appearances (five starts). The pick: Both teams are off to slow starts in 2017 but the Braves are a team coming off a 93-loss season in 2016, while the Blue Jays have won 89 and 93 games the last two years, reaching the ALCS in both 2015 and 2016. Toronto ha the edge here with Estrada, who has limited opposing hitters to a .227 batting average in 2017. Make Toronto an 8* play. |
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05-15-17 | Wizards v. Celtics -4.5 | Top | 105-115 | Win | 100 | 33 h 23 m | Show |
The set-up: Two of the four second round series ended in four-game sweeps (Cavs and Warriors) while the Spurs took out the Rockets in six games, but this Washington/Boston series will need all seven games to be decided. That should come as no surprise as the home team won all four matchups during the regular season and through six games of this playoff series, has come out on top each time. The first five games saw the home team also cover but then in Game 6, the Wizards eked out a 92-91 win over the Celtics. Boston squandered a five-point lead in the final minute of Game 6, saw John Wall nail a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left on the clock to give Washington the lead and then got victimized by some fuzzy clock management in the final seconds of the contest. After Wall's three-pointer, Kelly Oubre Jr. used Washington's foul to give with 2.7 seconds remaining, according to the NBA's Last Two Minute report,but Boston only got 1.7 seconds left on its final chance as Isaiah Thomas heaved up a three-point attempt that missed the mark. On to Game 7. Washington: Wall is averaging 26.3 points and 10.2 assists in the series and combines with Bradley Beal to form a backcourt that is not afraid to take the big shots. Beal scored a series-best 33 points in Friday's win but is still trying to find his shot from long range while shooting 26.3 percent from beyond the arc in the series. Washington's frontcourt continues to give uneven efforts. Gortat has rebounded well all series (11.7 per) but in the last three games, has scored a total of just 17 points. SF Otto Porter Jr. averaged 15.8 points on 60 percent shooting in the first five games of the series but went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting in Game 6. PF Morris was a "no-show" in Games 1 and 5 (both Boston home wins) but in Washington's three home games (all wins), he's averaged 14.0 & 8.7. Sixth man Bogdanovich has shot erratically, scoring 32 points in Games 3 and 4 (on 11 of 19 shooting) but averaging just 5.0 PPG in the other four games on 6 of 20 shooting. Boston: Isaiah Thomas is not complaining about Monday's situation. "To have Game 7 back in Boston in the Garden," Thomas told reporters after the game 6 loss. "If you had said that back in October, that there'd be a Game 7 in the second round, a lot of people probably wouldn't even believe that. So we're excited. I mean, it hurts right now because we just lost. We have nothing to hold our heads down about, we're going to take a few days to figure out our adjustments and win Game 7."Thomas had 33 points in Game 1 and then exploded for 53 points in Game 2. However, he is averaging just 19.3 points on 39 percent shooting in the four games since. Then again, Thomas is getting plenty of help the last two games from SG Avery Bradley, who followed up a playoff career-high 29 points in Game 5 with 27 in Game 6 and is 22-of-37 from the floor in that span. Center Al Horford was in line to be the "hero" in Game 6 (his 'bank' shot gave Boston a two-point lead with 10 seconds left) but Wall's three-point shot ruined that scenario. Still, Horford has been very good for Boston this postseason, averaging 16.2-7.6-5.8 while shooting 64.2% from the floor. The pick: It's another Game 7 at the legendary Boston Garden (now the TD Garden) and the Celtics sure have history behind them (Celtics are 18-3 all-time at home in Game 7s). However, all those banners in the rafters won't help this team, which has no connection to the past. Washington's history doesn't bode well, as the Wizards will be trying to reach the conference finals for the first time since 1979,. Forget ancient history, just look at this season. The home team has won all 11 meetings between the two teams and over the first 10 (prior to Game 6), the home team had covered each time. Stick with the home team here and make Boston a 10* play. |
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05-15-17 | Senators +1.5 v. Penguins | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 33 h 18 m | Show |
The set-up: Were the defending Stanley Cup champs a little flat in Game 1 against Ottawa, after taking out the Presidents' Trophy-winning Caps in seven games? Flat or not, Pittsburgh fell to Ottawa in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals by the score of 2-1 in OT. Bobby Ryan set up Jean-Gabriel Pageau for the series-opening goal and then Pageau returned the favor on the Ryans overtime game-winner at 4:59 of OT. Ottawa is now 5-2 on the road this postseason. While Pittsburgh saw Evgeni Malkin register his league-leading 19th playoff point with his third-period goal, head coach Mike Sullivan insisted his team needs to generate more shots after mustering only 17 at even strength in the series opener. Ottawa: Ryan had been taken to task for a career-worst regular-season point total of 25 (13 goals, 12 assists) but has erupted for 11 points (five goals, six assists) in the playoffs, with nine of them (four goals, five assists and three game-winning tallies) coming in seven road games. Pageau scored only 12 goals while playing in all 82 regular-season games but has a team-leading eight postseason goals, with seven coming in the last six contests! Craig Anderson stopped 27 of 28 shots in Saturday's Game 1 and is now 9-4 witha 2.37 GAA and .917 SP this postseason. Pittsburgh: Captain Sidney Crosby ia as about as even keel as they come and commented bout the Game 1 loss saying, "There were some good looks there. They're not going to give you anything but we worked hard to get our chances and we've got to bury them whean we get them." The Penguins won 17-of-23 faceoffs in the third period of the series opener but was only able to tie the score. More troubling is the fact that Pittsburgh came up empty on five chances on the power play, extending its rut to 0-for-10 in the last three contests. Crosby only had two shots in 23:32 of ice time. The pick: Yes, Pittsburgh is 5-0 in Game 2 of a series dating back to last season's playoff run but as I noted in taking the Senators in Game 1, this team just keeps playing one-goal games. Ottawa's 2-1 OT win in Game 1 makes it 10 one-goal games in the Senators' 13 playoff games, so far. Ottawa has six wins in the extra session, pushing the club one shy of matching the 2002 Carolina Hurricanes and 2003 Anaheim Ducks and four behind the 1993 Montreal Canadiens for most during a playoff season.Take the 1 1/2 goals and make the Senators a 10* play. |
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05-15-17 | Senators v. Penguins UNDER 5 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 127 | 33 h 18 m | Show |
The set-up: Were the defending Stanley Cup champs a little flat in Game 1 against Ottawa, after taking out the Presidents' Trophy-winning Caps in seven games? Flat or not, Pittsburgh fell to Ottawa in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals by the score of 2-1 in OT. Bobby Ryan set up Jean-Gabriel Pageau for the series-opening goal and then The pick: Yes, Pittsburgh is 5-0 in Game 2 of a series dating back to last season's playoff run but the Senators just keep playing one-goal games. Ottawa's 2-1 OT win in Game 1 makes it 10 one-goal games in the Senators' 13 playoff games, so far. Expect Fleury to be sharp for Pittsburgh but there is no reason Anderson won't play well again, either. Another 2-1 final would be no surprise. Make the Under an 8* play. |
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05-15-17 | Braves v. Blue Jays OVER 9 | Top | 10-6 | Win | 100 | 17 h 24 m | Show |
The set-up: Kevin Pillar’s walk-off homer gave the Blue Jays a 3-2 win on Sunday over Seattle, Toronto's fifth victory in a row and seventh in eight games. Toronto had played in both the 2015 and 2016 ALCS but lost 11 of 13 to open the 2017 season. However, the Blue Jays are now 15-10 since that ugly start and open this two-game interleague home series against the Atlanta Braves with a 17-21 mark. Atlanta was not able to complete a three-game sweep in Miami on Sunday, falling 3-1. The Braves sit at 13-21 (already 9 1/2 games back of the Nats in the NL East) and only the 14-25 Gianst own a worse winning percentage in MLB. The pitching matchup: Bartolo Colon (1-4 & 7.22 ERA) gets the start for Atlanta, opposed by Toronto's Mike Bolsinger (0-1 & 3.18 ERA). Atlanta signed Colon as a free agent and he's been a big disappointment. He gave up five first-inning runs and eight overall in 5 2/3 innings Tuesday at Houston, extending a stretch during which he has surrendered 36 hits and an OPS of 1.099. His lone win this season came when he allowed just one hit in seven innings against San Diego back on April 16. However, he has yielded seven or more hits in each of his four starts since (36 hits & 23 ERs in 21 IP). Colon has posted a 10-6 record and 4.25 ERA in 26 career starts against Toronto (teams are 15-11). Bolsinger makes his second start of the season after losing his debut against Cleveland on Tuesday, when he gave up two runs on three hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings. He is 8-17 with a 4.57 ERA in 38 games over four major-league seasons but had posted a 1.46 ERA in four starts for Triple-A Buffalo before joining Toronto. Bolsinger has made two career starts against Atlanta as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 1-1 with a4.22 ERA. The pick: Since earning his lone win of 2017 (4/16), Colon owns a 9.55 ERA in four starts. As for Bolsinger, he's nothing more than a journeyman. The play here is a 10* on the Over. |
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05-15-17 | Rays v. Indians -150 | Top | 7-8 | Win | 100 | 16 h 29 m | Show |
The set-up: The Cleveland Indians snapped a three-game slide with an 8-3 win on Sunday and avoided a three-game home sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. The Indians finally found their offense, after scoring just one run in dropping the first two games of that series. The Tampa Bay Rays had scored a modest eight runs in losing two of their previous three but used a seven-run ninth inning on Sunday to pull away for an 11-2 win over the Red Sox. The Indians are 19-17 to open the current season while the Rays are 19-21, as the two teams meet in Cleveland for the opener of a three-game series on Monday. The pitching matchup: Chris Archer (3-1 & 3.04 ERA) will start for the Rays and the Indians will send Carlos Carrasco (4-2 & 1.86 ERA) to the mound. Archer has rebounded from an awful 2016 season and enters this contest having posted a quality start in each of his last three starts. He is coming off the best of the bunch after scattering five hits across eight scoreless innings while striking out 11 without a walk in a 12-1 win over Kansas City on Wednesday. The Rays are 5-3 (plus-$135) in Archer's eight starts in 2017, after going 10-23 and minus-$1553 last year. However, Archer is still looking for his first career win against Cleveland and enters Monday 0-5 with a 5.14 ERA in five career starts against the Indians. Carrasco has pitched very well in 2017 and will be looking for his third straight win and seventh consecutive quality start after striking out seven without walking a batter in seven scoreless innings at Toronto on Tuesday. Carrasco allowed one run and struck out eight in eight innings to earn a win in his lone start against Tampa Bay last season, giving him a 3-3 career record against the rays, while posting a 2.57 ERA. The pick: No way I'll back Archer with his career record against the Indians (see above), especially with Carrasco looking so solid. Yes, the Indians are a modest 7-8 at home so far in 2017 but they went 53-28 at home last season. Make Cleveland an 8* play. |
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05-14-17 | Predators v. Ducks UNDER 5 | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 40 m | Show |
The set-up: The Anaheim Ducks lost their first two games at home to the Oilers but were able to rebound in the second round, taking that series in seven games. However, Anaheim can ill-afford to fall into an 0-2 'hole' here vs. Nashville, as the eighth-seeded Predators are not only 9-2 this postseason but that includes a perfect 5-0 record on home ice. If Anaheim loses tonight, this could be a short series. The Predators stole home ice from Anaheim by eking out a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 1, winning their third consecutive series opener on the road. The loss drops the Ducks to just 4-3 on home ice this postseason. Nashville: The Predators dominated the play in Game 1, out-shooting the Ducks 46-29. "You get some momentum right away, for sure," said Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who collected a pair of assists. "But we know we haven't done nothing yet. We have to stay on for Game 2, and we know now we'll have that home-ice advantage again. We're really comfortable on home ice and on the road, and it's a good feeling to get the first one." The Predators have scored 31 goals in winning nine of 11 games, while allowing only 16. Anaheim: John Gibson was in net for the opening two games against Nashville last year, both 3-2 setbacks, and never saw the ice again in the series. However, no one is blaming Gibson for Friday's loss, as he made 43 saves! "Our goaltender should get full credit for keeping us in the game," head coach Randy Carlyle said of Gibson, who was victimized by a deflected shot on the game-winning tally. The pick: This is a "must win" for the Ducks, as if they head to Nashville down 0-2....Nashville is 5-0 at Bridgestone Arena this postseason thanks in large part to Pekka Rinne, who's turned aside 141 of 147 shots for a .959 save percentage. The problem is, the Ducks have managed just five goals over their last three games plus they are mired in a six-game power-play drought, failing on all 20 chances. As for Nashville's Rinne, he' s allowed just 1,41 GPG with a save percentage of .950 in 11 playoff games. The Under has to be the 10* play. |
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05-14-17 | Philadelphia Phillies - Game #2 v. Washington Nationals - Game #2 -186 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 11 h 5 m | Show |
analysis by 11 am et |
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05-14-17 | Spurs v. Warriors -10 | Top | 111-113 | Loss | -110 | 31 h 53 m | Show |
The set-up: The Spurs owned the second-best record West at 61-21 (and in the entire NBA, as well) and will meet the No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals starting this afternoon in Oakland. The Warriors went 67-15 during the regular season and have won all eight playoff games, outscoring opponents on average, 115.3-to-98.8 PPG. After rolling over Portland and Utah in the first two rounds, the Warriors also have the advantage of being well-rested, with an entire week off between series. Conversely, the Spurs didn't have an easy time in either of their series, as they were tied at two-all against both the Grizzlies and the Rockets, before winning both Game 5s at home and then their respective Games 6's as well, at Memphis and Houston. San Antonio: Kawhi Leonard is nursing a sprained left ankle that kept him out of the clinching Game 6 win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday but the good news for the Spurs is that Leonard will have had a full four days off before Sunday's opener. He is expected to play against Golden State today. Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge took a more prominent role in Leonard's absence in Game 6 at Houston. He produced his best performance of the postseason with 34 points and 12 rebounds, well above his average 16.8 points and 8.0 rebounds this postseason. PG Tony Parker (quadriceps tendon) is out for the rest of the playoffs and the Spurs will likely start Patty Mills, with rookie Murray also seeing increased "PT." Also, SG Jonathan Simmons averaged 13.2 points against the Rockets, after averaging only 3.6 in the first round against Memphis. Golden State:Golden Curry (27.1) and Durant (23.3) have played very well so far, although the team's third "big scorer," Klay Thompson, has struggled. Thompson averaged 22.3 points during the regular season but has reached 20 points just twice in the first eight playoff games, averaging 16.3 PPG on 40.7% shooting. However, Draymond Green is picking up the scoring slack, averaging 14.9 PPG (on 51.2% from three-point range) plus adding 8.5 RPG and 9.1 APG while always playing great defense. The pick: The Spurs took two of three from the Warriors during the regular season, with one of those wins being a 129-100 stunner on opening night at Golden State. Hard to believe taht the Warriors won't be well aware of that and with no Parker and a less than 100 percent Leonard, the Spurs don't figure to stay withing 'shouting distance' of the Warriors here in Game 1. Lay the points and make the Warriors a 10* play. |
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05-14-17 | Mets v. Brewers UNDER 8.5 | Top | 9-11 | Loss | -105 | 6 h 11 m | Show |
The set-up: Milwaukee placed Ryan Braun on the 10-day disabled list prior to Friday's game with the Mets but the Brewers haven't missed him, winning 7-4 on Friday (team had four HRs) and last night, used 16 hits (just one HR) and an eight-run 5th to win, 11-4! The 20-17 Brewers will attempt to complete a sweep of the visiting Mets and post their sixth victory in seven contests Sunday. The Mets are heading in the opposite direction, as after winning five of their previous six, the Mets have dropped three straight to find themselves three games under .500 (16-19). |
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05-14-17 | Twins v. Indians -148 | Top | 3-8 | Win | 100 | 5 h 11 m | Show |
The set-up: The defending AL champs have lost the first two of this three-game home series with the Twins, managing just three hits on Friday and Saturday, while scoring only one run in the two contests. The Cleveland Indians will need to wake up their dormant offense, having now lost four of five to fall to 18-17. Meanwhile, the Twins, losers of 103 games in 2016, have now won four in a row and at 19-14, lead the Indians and Tigers by two games in the AL Central. Max Kepler belted a solo HR on Saturday as the Twins extended their streak of games with a homer to 14 straight, their longest run since 1988. The pitching matchup: Hector Santiago (4-1 & 2.76 ERA) takes the mound for Minnesota and Trevor Bauer (2-4 & 7.36 ERA) for Cleveland. Santiago is off to a strong starts in 2017 and enters unbeaten in his last five starts, allowing just 10 ERs in that span (3-0 & 2.90 ERA). The lefty has allowed just three HRs in 42 1/3 innings and right-handed hitters own only a .194 batting average against him overall. Santiago is 2-3 with a 4.77 ERA in 15 games (10 starts / teams are 3-7) against the Indians. In contrast to Santiago, Bauer has permitted at least four runs in five of his six starts this season. He does have 37 strikeouts in 33 innings in 2017 but teams are batting .285 against him overall, with seven HRs allowed. Bauer is 2-5 with a 5.09 ERA in 12 career starts against Minnesota (Indians are 4-8). The pick: Yes, the Twins have won 1-0 and 4-1 these first two games but the Twins aren't exactly 'lighting up' the scoreboard, either (just five runs on hits). Bauer has not been sharp so far (an understatement) but his best start of 2017 did come at Minnesota back on April 20, when he allowed two ERs on three hits over 6 1/3 innings of a 6-2 win. The Cleveland bats have quiet but the Indians have a veteran lineup that has been productive in the past. Speaking of the recent past, the Indians were 53-28 at home in 2016, while the Twins went 29-52 on the road. I say no sweep here by Minnesota, as Santiago's had problems with Cleveland (see above). Make Cleveland a 10* play. |
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05-13-17 | Senators +1.5 v. Penguins | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 11 h 43 m | Show |
The set-up: Two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson guided the Senators to six-game series victories over Boston and the New York Rangers despite playing with two hairline fractures in his left heel. He raised his team-high point total to 13 (two goals, 11 assists) by recording game-winning goals in the series opener and clincher against New York. The Senators are making their first trip to the conference finals since 2007 and just their third trip in franchise history. Awaiting them for Game 1 of this series in Pittsburgh are the Penguins. Pittsburgh is the defending champs and the Penguins are looking to become the first team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-98 to repeat as champions. Pittsburgh needed just five games to dispatch Columbus in the first round but after taking a 3-1 lead over Washington, the Penguins were extended to a seventh game before taking out the Presidents' Trophy-winning Caps (again!) with a 2-0 Game 7 victory. Evgeni Malkin (NHL-leading 18 points in the playoffs) and rookie Jake Guentzel (league-best nine goals), have led the way. Ottawa: Head coach Guy Boucher has 'played the underdog card' in each of his team's first two series and while that assessment could have been debated against the Bruins and Rangers, Boucher's Senators are clearly the underdog in this series. Karlsson is the team leader in points, as well as being the 'heart' of this team, but note that Jean-Gabriel Pageau recorded six of his team-leading seven goals versus the Rangers on the heels of being limited to only 12 goals on the season and one in the first-round series against the Bruins. Craig Anderson has been publicly shredded for his questionable puck-handling decisions in these playoffs but he owns a respectable 2.49 GAA and .914 save percentage. Pittsburgh: The Penguins were out-played and out-shot by the Caps for most of the series but in the end, came out as the winner. A big reason was the play of Marc-Andre Fleury, who saved his best for Game 7 at Washington, recording a 29-save shutout. He's hasn't put up Rinne-like numbers this postseason but he's got a 2.55 goals-against average and .927 save percentage (.927). Head coach Mike Sullivan has stated that Fleury "deserves the opportunity to play" even though regular-season starter Matt Murray has returned to health. "If we traded (Fleury), we wouldn't be in this room right now," Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford said of the veteran, who was the subject of trade rumors throughout the season. "You'd be in another city. If not for our goalie, we wouldn't have won that series (against Washington)." The pick: The Penguins have won three of four postseason meetings with the Senators but note that this season, Ottawa captured two of the three meetings against Pittsburgh, with Karlsson erupting for seven points (one goal, six assists) in those three games. Yes, Pittsburgh has enjoyed comfortable wins by two or more goals on five occasions this postseason but Ottawa has seen nine of its 12 playoff games decided by just one goal, including the first eight the Senators played. Take the 1 1/2 goals and make the Senators an 8* play. |
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05-13-17 | Padres v. White Sox +1.5 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 11 h 33 m | Show |
The set-up: The Padres posted a 6-3 victory in the opener of this three-game IL series in Chicago, winning for just the second time in nine games. In the process, they sent the White Sox to their sixth consecutive loss and ninth setback in their last 11 games.Chicago has been outscored 34-18 during its six-game slide and has given up at least six runs in seven of its last 11 contests. The series continues tonight in Chicago. The pitching matchup: Trevor Cahill (3-2 & 3.06 ERA) goes for San Diego and Dylan Covey (0-3 ERA 8.28 ERA) for Chicago. Cahill comes in having won each of his last three decisions, giving up just one earned run over 18 1/3 innings during those outings. He allowed just one hit over 5 1/3 scoreless frames against Oakland in his last turn but received an early hook due to a season-high five walks. Cahill is 1-3 with a 4.53 ERA in nine career appearances (eight starts / teams are 2-6) against the White Sox. Covey has been treated rudely in his first season in the majors and has allowed six runs in each of his last two starts. He has served up seven HRs in 25 innings, including three when the New York Yankees torched him for eight runs and 10 hits in five innings on April 19. Covey has a horrendous 1.92 WHIP and opposing batters are hitting .349 against him.
The pick: Maybe it's a stretch to side with the White Sox (and Covey) but note that Cahill has struggled on Chicago's South Side, with a 7.32 ERA in five games (four starts). I expect both starters to struggle but will side with Chicago's bullpen, whose 2.29 ERA is the second-best in all of MLB (San Diego's ranks 26th at 5.12). Take the 1 1/2 runs and make Chicago a 10* play. |
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05-13-17 | Reds v. Giants -132 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 7 h 29 m | Show |
The set-up: Buster Posey homered for the fourth time in his last five games to give the Giants a 3-2 victory on Friday in a game that lasted 17 innings and took five hours and 28 minutes to complete. Te Reds won by a similar 3-2 score in the opener of this four-game series on Thursday and the teams continue the series this afternoon at AT&T Park. The Reds have had excellent success here in San Francisco lately, having won 15 of their last 21 games at AT&T Park. Cincinnati is 19-16 on the season, while the Giants' win still leaves them with MLB's worst record at 13-24. San Francisco's offensive woes continued last night (3.24 RPG ranks 29th) but the Giants have received a welcome spark from the leadoff spot in the past two games from center fielder Denard Span, who has gone 7-for-12 with a home run and three RBI in his return from the disabled list. The pitching matchup: Lisalverto Bonilla (0-0 & 7.20 ERA) makes his first start of 2017 for the Reds and goes up against San Fran's Matt Moore (1-4 & 6.52 ERA). Bonilla hopes to be a steady replacement for struggling right-hander Rookie Davis, who was optioned to Triple-A Louisville after posting a 7.58 ERA in five starts. Bonilla pitched five innings of relief against the Cubs on April 22 before going back to Triple-A, where he went 0-2 with a 5.65 ERA in three starts. However, back in 2014 with Texas, he made five appearances, including three starts. He won all three of those starts, posting a 2.11 ERA. Moore’s 2017 struggles continued in his last outing, this past Monday against the Mets. He allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings while throwing 108 pitches. Moore has allowed five or more runs in four of his seven starts this season with San Francisco going 1-6 and minus-$ 581 against the moneyline. He will be facing the Reds for the first time in his seven-year career (most spent with Tampa Bay in the AL). The pick :Both teams are hoping to see starting pitchers Bonilla and Moore work deep into Saturday’s contest, after they combined to use 13 relievers in Friday’s game. Bonilla has not made a major league start since 2014 and his 5.65 ERA in three starts at Triple-A hardly inspire confidence. Moore's overall stats look pretty ugly but on closer examination, while he owns a 10.50 ERA in three road starts this season, his ERA is 3.05 ERA in three outings at AT&T Park. Checking back to last year, Moore has gone 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA in his last eight home starts dating to August. Make the Giants a 10* play. |
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05-12-17 | Reds v. Giants UNDER 7.5 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 23 m | Show |
The set-up: The San Francisco Giants had two starting position players return to the lineup Thursday but they still wound up on the losing end of a 3-2 game. Denard Span went 4-for-5 with a double and a solo HR after missing about three weeks with a shoulder sprains and hortstop Brandon Crawford (groin) went 1-for-4 from the cleanup spot in his return from the disabled list. With the defeat, San Francisco fell to a major league-worst 12-24 record and have now lost all four meetings with the Reds in 2017. The Reds have won seven of their last eight overall and sit at 19-15, a half-game back of the first-place Cards in the NL Central. |
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05-12-17 | Predators +100 v. Ducks | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 13 h 57 m | Show |
Nashville: The Predators' playoff run is due in large part to the remarkable renaissance of veteran goaltender Pekka Rinne. He's overcome an uneven regular season by allowing just 14 goals in 10 playoff games, including a pair of shutouts in the sweep of top-seeded Chicago. Rinne's led Nahville to an 8-2 record, posting a 1.37 GAA with a .951 save percentage. The defensemen, despite the blockbuster offseason trade of longtime captain Shea Weber for fellow blueliner P.K. Subban, are getting it done at both ends of the ice by amassing nine goals and 27 points in the postseason. Anaheim: Captain Ryan Getzlaf got off to a miserable start to the season with only two goals in his first 26 games but has been superb in the playoffs with eight goals and seven assists. Linemate Corey Perry came alive in the last four games versus Edmonton with a goal and five assists plus 33-goal scorer Rickard Rakell tallied in four straight games against the Oilers. The defense is also providing healthy offensive production with a combined three goals and 20 assists. However, goalie John Gibson remains a question mark. He has surrendered at least three goals in six of his last nine appearances. The pick: Rinne's the Conn Smythe favorite through the first two rounds (Ottawa would say Karlsson) and remember that when these teams met in the playoffs last year, the visiting team won five of the seven games! I noted Gibson's shortcomings above and will add that he lost both playoff starts against the Predators a year ago. Make Nashville a 10* play. |
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05-12-17 | Dodgers v. Rockies UNDER 9.5 | Top | 6-2 | Win | 105 | 13 h 38 m | Show |
The set-up: The Dodgers out-hit the Rockies Thursday 14-12 in the first contest of a four-game series at Coors Field. However, Colorado won the game 10-7, moving 2 1/2 games up on LA in the NL West. The loss snapped the Dodgers' season-high five-game winning streak, while the victory was the seventh in nine games for Colorado, which is off to the best 36-game start in franchise history at 23-13 The pitching matchup: Clayton Kershaw (5-2 & 2.40 ERA) will start for LA and Yyler Chatwood (3-4 & 4.74 ERA). Kershaw defeated San Diego in his last start, striking out nine in 7 1/3 innings while giving up just one run and five hits. This marks his third start of 2017 vs. Colorado, having split two decisions. The loss came back on April 8 at Coors, when Kershaw served up three HRs, allowing back-to-back HRs for the first time in his career. He's 19-6 with a 3.15 ERA in 34 career starts vs. Colrado (Dodgers are 25-9). Chatwood is coming off an excellent last outing, in which he allowed one run on two hits over seven-plus innings of a 5-2 victory against Arizona. It was a sharp turnaround from his previous three starts, when he surrendered 14 runs on 19 hits in 16 1/3 innings. Chatwood is 4-6 with a 3.52 ERA in 11 career starts versus the Dodgers (teams are 4-7). The pick: The teams pounded out 26 hits and scored 17 runs on Thursday. Expect a different result here. Kershaw has limited opposing batters to a .210 average with a 53-7 KW ratio over 48 2/3 innings (0.92 WHIP). In 34 career starts vs. Colorado, Kershaw has limited Rockies hitters to a .220/.283/.329 slash line. Make the Under an 8* play. |
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05-12-17 | Celtics +5 v. Wizards | Top | 91-92 | Win | 100 | 12 h 13 m | Show |
The set-up: The Boston Celtics are one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals but will that victory come in Washington? So far, the home team is 5-0 SU & ATS this series, after the teams did the exact same thing in their regular season series, with the home team posting a 4-0 SU & ATS mark. The only 'twist' to Boston's Game 5 win was that for once (in a home win), the Celtics didn't rely completely on Isaiah Thomas. With Washington's defensive focus squarely on the 5-9 All-Star PG, Boston's Avery Bradley recorded a playoff career high 29 points (25 in the 1st half, alone) plus frontcourt players Horford (19-6-7) and Crowder (18 & 8) also has excellent games. The Wizards shot only 38.5 percent as teeam and while Wall had 21 points, he had just four assists ending his NBA record streak of 11 consecutive playoff games with at least 20 points and seven assists! Boston: Thomas showed his skills as a facilitator in Game 5, becoming a screen-setter and passer, which kept the Wizards off balance. It's likely Boston will need more of the same from Thomas in Game 6 but while the Celtics can't expect another 29-point game from Bradley, they will need strong play from him on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively, Al Horford is shooting 69.4 percent from the floor, including 58.8 percent from three-point range in the series and it would be nice if he could keep that up. Washington: The Wizards had all the momentum going into Game 5 after winning the previous two games by a total of 46 points but were flat as a pancake in Game 5. "It started with the focus," Wizards head coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "That was our No. 1 mistake. We didn’t have the focus that it would have taken to win in this building." Shooting guards Beal and Bojan Bogdanovic (off teh bench) combined to go 8-of-26 from the floor, including just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. Washington used a 22-0 run in Game 3 and a 26-0 spurt in Game 4 to create separation in a pair of home wins but failed to get the defensive stops that led to those runs in Game 5. "All we can do is focus on Game 6 at home," Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal told reporters. The pick: The question then becomes, will the Wizards be able to regain their composure and swagger? I took the Spurs (even without Kawhi) last night and watched Houston fail miserably in attempting to bounce back from its Game 5 loss. Other than Wall, the remainder of Washington's starters have been erratic throughout the entire series, As for the bench, we saw Kelly Oubre Jr. return from a one-game suspension following a Flagrant 2 foul in Game 3 to score 13 points off the bench but Washington's other reserves shot 3 of 16 from the floor in Game 5. I just have ZERO faith in Washington, especially laying points. Make Boston a 10* play. |
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05-11-17 | Pirates v. Diamondbacks -129 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 14 h 40 m | Show |
The set-up: The The Pittsburgh Pirates open a four-game series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, after beginning the team's seven-game road trip by getting swept in three games at Dodger Stadium. Pittsburgh has matched its season-worst losing streak of four games and finds itself at 14-20, 5 1/2 games back in the NL Central, occupying last place. The Diamondbacks are coming off a split the two-game of a two-game IL series with the Tigers and the team's 19-16 start to the 2017 season is a welcome relief after going only 69-83 last year. Arizona halted a three-game slide with six extra-base hits (three HRs & three doubles) in Wednesday's 7-1 victory over Detroit. |
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05-11-17 | Spurs +7.5 v. Rockets | Top | 114-75 | Win | 100 | 12 h 9 m | Show |
The set-up: The Spurs took a 3-2 lead in this series by winning Game 5 in OT (110-107), with All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard on the bench due to a left ankle injury. Manu Ginibili "turned back the clock" with his best game of the series, which included a line of 12-7-5 and then capped his performance with a block of Harden's possible game-tying three-point attempt at the OT buzzer. Harden had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 5 but it wasn't enough..He was just 4-of-15 from three-point range plus Gordon, inserted into the starting lineup for Game 5, shot 4 of 13 from the floor (11 points) and reserve guard Lou Williams score only six points on 3 of 10 shooting. San Antonio: Leonard vows he'll be in the starting lineup tonight saying, "Yeah, I'm going to be able to play," when asked during Wednesday's off-day media availability. Patty Mills also figures to draw the start at PG for the second straight game, after scoring 20 points and knocking down five 3-pointers in Game 5. Then there is PF LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 18 points and added 14 rebounds on Tuesday, recording his first double-double of the series. Houston: Head coach Mike D'Antoni not only "went small" by starting Gordon, he also opted for just a seven-man rotation, with veteran center Nene (groin) done for the postseason. Ryan Anderson and Lou Williams being the only reserves to play in Game 5. Anderson had a strong game with 19 points but as noted already, Williams shot poorly. In Houston's three losses this series, Williams has gone 5 of 21 (23.8%) from the floor, scoring a total of just 10 points! The pick: The results of D'Antoni's decision to go with a seven-man rotation were NOT good. Harden and Gordon each played 43 minutes, Beverley was out there for 41 minutes and Ariza for 40 minutes. As fatigue mounted, offensive execution waned. Down the stretch, the Rockets began standing around and settled for tough shots instead of challenging the Spurs' scrambling defense. "Probably got tired," D'Antoni said of the lack of pace and production. "We just couldn't quite push it. We had our opportunities with about three minutes to go in the game to knock a couple 3s down I thought were good shots. We just didn't make the big play at that moment." You think! I've noted often that this year's San Antonio team does not have the depth of past editions and now Parker is out plus Leonard may be too, or playing at less anna 100 percent. However, the Spurs still have Popovich plus a champion's mentality entering a game of this magnitude. In contrast, Houston's D'Antoni is no Popovich (who is?) plus are the Rockets really ready for prime time? The Spurs are 3-1 at Houston in 2016-17, going 2-0 in the regular season while splitting the two games in this series thus far. Take the points and make the Spurs a 10* play. |
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05-11-17 | Mariners v. Blue Jays -138 | Top | 2-7 | Win | 100 | 11 h 15 m | Show |
The set-up: Seattle's pitching staff is currently decimated by injuries but the Seattle bats have come to the rescue, scoring 53 runs (7.57 per) in winning six of the team's last seven games. The Mariners got out of the blocks just 2-8 but head into Thursday's opener of a four-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays at .500 on the season (17-17). The Blue Jays know all about slow starts, having opened the 2017 season at 1-9. However, Toronto may be slowly is turning its season around, after back-to-back series victories for the first time this season and wins in seven of its last 11 contests, overall. Ryan Goins had a walk-off single in the ninth inning of Wednesday's 8-7 triumph over Cleveland but the Jays, who have played in each of the last two ALCS, are already 9 1/2 games back of first-place in the AL East. |
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05-11-17 | Royals v. Rays OVER 7.5 | Top | 6-0 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 21 m | Show |
The set-up: The Kansas City Royals opened their four-game series at Tampa Bay this past Monday on an eight-game road losing streak. However, the Royals won 7-3 on Monday and then again on Tuesday, 7-6 in 12 innings. KC's good fortune turned on Wednesday though, as the Rays enjoyed their best offensive outburst of the season. Tampa Bay's Colby Rasmus capped a three-hit performance with a grand slam in a 12-1 rout, a game in which Tampa Bay's lineup pounded out 16 hits. The teams wrap the series with a Thursday afternoon contest. |
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05-10-17 | Oilers v. Ducks -114 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 14 h 34 m | Show |
analysis soon |
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05-10-17 | Oilers v. Ducks UNDER 5.5 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 14 h 30 m | Show |
The set-up: The Ducks/Oilers series saw the visiting team win the first four games, before things really got interesting. The Ducks made a miraculous third-period comeback in Game 5 at Anaheim, scoring three goals in the last 3:16 with their goaltender pulled. Then won in double-OT to take a 3-2 lead. Edmonton returned home but put the team's crushing Game 5 loss behind them quickly, scoring five first-period goals in a 7-1 rout and that sets up Wednesday's second Game 7. Anaheim is well-familiar with Game 7s but those memories are all bad, as the Ducks have lost Game 7s in each of the last four postseasons As for the Oilers, they own a 6-3 all-time record in Game 7s but they will play in their first since a 3-1 loss to Carolina in the 2006 Stanley Cup final. By the way, the 2006 season was the last time Edmonton has made the playoffs! |
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05-10-17 | Wizards v. Celtics -4 | Top | 101-123 | Win | 100 | 11 h 18 m | Show |
The set-up: The Warriors just finished off the Jazz (Monday) in a four-game sweep, a series in which the visiting team covered all games. That's something you rarely see. The Boston (No. 1 seed) and Washington (No. 4 seed) series continues tonight with what's so far, been a more traditional series, as home court has held. The Celtics won Games 1 and 2 at home to open things up, covering both games, although Boston needed OT (plus 53 points from Thomas) to do so. The series shifted to Washington for Games 3 and 4 and in a YUGE understatement, the momentum has shifted. The Wizards won Games 3 and 4 by a combined 46 points and used a 22-0 in the first quarter of Game 3 and a 26-0 run in the third quarter of Sunday's game to go from being into an 0-2 'hole' to blowing out the Celtics for a second straight game, sending the series back to the TD Garden tied at two-all. Washington: "We played inspired basketball for each other," Wizards coach Scott Brooks, who called the 26-0 run in Game 4 his team's best stretch of the season, told reporters. "Defensively we were in the right position. ... We didn't make silly mistakes that we made early in the game, and it pays off." The Wizards go where PG John Wall takes them, as he's averaging 27.8 points, 12.3 assists and 2.8 steals in the series. However, SG Bradley Beal played his best game of the series on Sunday with 29 points. Forwards Porter (18 & 8) and Morris (16 & 10) also played well, as did Bogdanovich off the bench for the second straight game (had 13 points in Game 4, after getting 19 in Game 3). Boston: PG Isaiah Thomas scored 33 points in Game 1 and then 53 in Boston's OT win in Game 2. However, points were much harder to come by for him in Washington, where he averaged just 16.0 points in the two losses. SG Bradley is hurting with a hip pointer and scored only five points on Sunday, plus is shooting just 34.0 percent for the series. Key frontcourt players Horford and Crowder have been hit-and-miss, something head coach Brad Stevens knows all too well. "We played pretty good in stretches but then two stretches killed us on this trip to D.C.," Stevens said after Game 4. "One in the first quarter (in Game 3), one in the third quarter (in Game 4). We have to play better throughout the whole game (in Game 5). The pick: The Wizards were in both of the games played in Boston but could never "finish the job." After two dominating home wins, will the Wizards "get it right" in Boston? Thomas suggested after Game 4 that he wasn't getting the benefit of foul calls while going without a free-throw attempt in the loss. "The refs were allowing them to hold and grab and do all those things," Thomas told reporters. "I think, especially in the third quarter, I might have hit the ground five or six straight times, and I'm not the one that likes hitting the ground. ... I can't be allowed to be held and grabbed every pin-down, every screen." Something tells me that Thomas will not only play MUCH better in Game 5 but that he'll also be getting some of the calls he failed to get in Washington. This series has not just been home court-dominated in the playoffs but the home team won all four games played during the regular season as well, with Boston winning and covering the two regular season games in the TD Garden against the Wizards. Make Boston a 10* play. |
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05-10-17 | Penguins v. Capitals -180 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -180 | 11 h 49 m | Show |
The set-up: The NHL's two best teams, the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals and the defending champion Penguins will decide their second round series in tonight's Game 7 at Washington. The Caps trailed the series 3-1 and entered the third period of Game 5 at home, down 2-1. However, a three-goal burst to open that period gave them a 4-2 win and then back in Pittsburgh for Game 6, the Caps totally dominated the Penguins, in a 5-2 victory (led 5-0 late into the third period). However, while this group of Penguins have won two Stanley Cups, the Caps have been the NHL's biggest underachievers in that span. Incredibly, Pittsburgh sports a perfect 5-0 record on the road in its previous Game 7 clashes heading into Wednesday's winner-take-all with Washington at the Verizon Center, while the Caps are 4-10 all-time in Games 7s, including 3-7 at home. These teams have met in three Game 7s, with Pittsburgh winning each one, outscoring Washington 12-3! |
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05-10-17 | Royals v. Rays OVER 7.5 | Top | 1-12 | Win | 100 | 11 h 31 m | Show |
The set-up: The Kansas City Royals opened their four-game series at Tampa Bay on an eight-game road losing streak but have won the first two contests, 7-3 on Monday and then, in a 12-inning game on Tuesday, 7-6. Mike Moustakas hit a solo HR in the 12th to provide the margin of victory for the Royals, who rallied from a four-run deficit. KC now has a chance to clinch its first series win since sweeping a three-game set from the LA Angels back on April 14-16. Tampa Bay has lost three straight to drop three games below .500 for the first time this year, at 13-16. The pitching matchup: Jason Hammel (1-3 & 5.53 ERA) will get the nod for the Royals and Chris Archer (2-1 & 3.57 ERA) for the Rays. Hammel is coming off his best start of the season, which resulted in his first victory in a Kansas City uniform. He limited Cleveland to one run on three hits over six innings in a 3-1 win on Friday. However, Hammel has sure not pitched the way KC had hoped, when the Royals signed him to a FA deal in February. Prior's to Friday's win, he had lasted only three innings in each of his previous two starts and even after a good effort vs. the Indians, he's got an 'ugly' 5.53 ERA, a 1.70 WHIP and opponents are hitting .288 against him. Hammel, who spent the first three seasons of his career with Tampa Bay, is 2-2 with a 4.26 ERA in six starts against his former team (teams are 3-3). Archer registered a season-high 11 strikeouts against Toronto on Friday but did not factor in the decision after allowing three runs in six innings. He is now win-less in his last four starts and while his numbers aren't all that bad, the Rays have now lost his last three starts, after winning his first four. Hardly inspiring confidence for tonight's game is the fact that Archer has yet to defeat Kansas City in his career, going 0-4 with a 5.63 ERA in five starts (Rays are 1-4). The pick: Last night's 12-inning game could (should?) prove chaotic for each team's pitching staff, tonight. The Royals and Rays combined to use 15 pitchers last night, with all but one available reliever appearing. Neither starter much confidence heading into tonight and the bullpens just may be spent. Make the Over a 10* play. |
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05-10-17 | Orioles v. Nationals -173 | Top | 6-7 | Win | 100 | 10 h 25 m | Show |
The set-up: The Orioles have dominated the Beltway Series (Nats haven't won a season series since 2007) and have now taken the first two of this four-game, home-and-home. The pick: The Orioles' Wade Miley (1-1 & 2.27 ERA) gets the ball up against the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg (3-1 & 2.66 ERA), as the series shifts to Washington for two games. Miley was unable to get through the first inning in his last outing, as he was hit with a pair of line drives and then removed for precautionary reasons. He was win-less over his previous three starts but had pitched well, giving up just five runs over 20 innings (team was 2-1). He has allowed just eight ERs in his first six outings of the season. Miley is 2-3 with 3.76 ERA in seven career starts against Washington (teams are 3-4). Strasburg will be looking to halt a three-game slide for the Nationals, who wasted eight stellar innings by Max Scherzer on Tuesday. He barely had his streak of five consecutive quality starts snapped last time out, but he still overcame four walks to toss 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a win at Philadelphia. He had worked seven innings in each of his first five starts but has not received much offensive support, with the Nationals scoring just 20 runs in his six starts this season. He's 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two career starts against the Orioles (Nats are 1-1). The pick: Strasburg may havr e to go at LEAST seven innings tonight, as Washington's bullpen ranks last in the National League with a 5.47 ERA! That said, I like the way Strasburg has pitched this season so far (1.08 WHIP & .220 BAA) and believe Miley's pitching over his head. Make the Nats an 8* play. |
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05-10-17 | Giants v. Mets UNDER 8 | Top | 6-5 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 32 m | Show |
The set-up: The Mets are going through a 'soap opera' with pitcher Matt Harvey but have a chance to make it a three-game sweep of their series with the Giants this afternoon, which would move them above the .500 mark for the first time since April 19. While the Mets sit at 16-16, losses on Monday and Tuesday at Citi Field leave the Giants at 11-13, owners of MLB's worst record. The Mets won 4-3 (Monday) and 6-1 last night, as the reeling Giants have dropped five in a row. This marks San Francisco's final contest of its nine-game road trip and the team has managed only nine runs on 23 hits during its five-game skid. The pitching matchup: Matt Cain (2-1 & 4.70 ERA) takes the mound for the Giants and Tommy Milone (1-0 & 6.43 ERA) gets the start for a troubled New York rotation. Cain was tagged for a career high-tying nine runs on 10 hits and six walks (which also matching a career worst) in losing 13-3 to the Reds last Friday. That was quite a drop-off, as he had allowed just three ERs over his previous four starts (23 innings with a 1.17 ERA), going 2-0 (team was 3-1). Cain is 6-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 15 career starts against the Mets (Giants are 8-7). Tommy Milone split his six appearances with Milwaukee between the rotation and bullpen to open the 2017 season but was waived after giving up four runs on six hits in a two-inning relief stint on April 29. The left-hander will make his New York Mets debut Wednesday afternoon and will be pitching for the first time in 12 days. He's only faced the Giants once in his career, back on May 29, 2013. He allowed four runs over five innings in that one but he got the win as the Oakland A's won 9-6 win at AT&T Park. The pick: Of course, Milone is a wild card but the good news for him is that the Giants are just not hitting. As for Cain, his last outing was a 'nightmare' but as noted, he was outstanding in his previous four turns. Make the Under an 8* play. |
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05-09-17 | Braves +1.5 v. Astros | Top | 3-8 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 57 m | Show |
The pitching matchup: Atlanta will send Bartolo Colon (1-3 & 6.27 ERA) to the mound to face Houston's Charlie Morton (3-2 & 3.97 ERA). The 43-year-old vet is not off to a good 2017 start and was knocked around in his last two outings, allowing 11 ERs on 17 hits in just nine innings against Milwaukee and the NY Mets. He's allowed just one run in two of his six starts this season but at least four runs in the other four. However, he's got a decent history against Houston, going 8-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 12 career starts (teams are 8-4). Morton spent the first nine years of his career in the NL (beginning with Atlanta as a rookie in 2008) but has found the AL to his liking so far, a he comes in looking for his third straight win after posting a total of 20 strikeouts in 13 innings against Oakland and Texas. He owns 39 strikeouts in 34 total innings in 2017. He's made five all-time starts against the team he began his career against, going 2-2 with a 3.96 ERA (teams are 3-2). The pick: Colon's not in prime form so far but he's got a good history against the Astros. Meanwhile, the Braves will likely be motivated against an ex-teammate, who has really been nothing more than a journeyman in his big league career so far, and that's being nice. Morton owns a career 49-73 record (.402), with a 4.51 ERA, 1.44 WHIP plus opponents have batted .276 against him. Take the 1 1/2 runs and make Atlanta an 8* play. |
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05-09-17 | Rockets +5.5 v. Spurs | Top | 107-110 | Win | 100 | 12 h 52 m | Show |
The set-up: While first the Cavs and now the Warriors have made short work (four-game sweeps) of their respective second round series, the other two series are both tied at two-all. Both the second-seeded Spurs and third seeded Rockets in the West and the top-seeded Celtics and fourth-seeded Wizards have turned their series into a best-of-3 situation. While the Bos/Was series has seen the home team go 4-0 SU & ATS, this SA/Hou series has seen each team win a game on the others home court with each home team also owning a blowout home victory. Houston: The Rockets drained 19 three-pointers in their Game 4 victory, turning a close game into a 125-104 rout by scoring 68 second-half points! "This is a big stage they did it on," Houston head coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters. "We have a lot of work left, but there's no reason why we can't go down to San Antonio and repeat the performance." The Rockets did just that in Game 1, making 22 three-points (on a record 50 attempts!) in a 126-99 road win. However, Houston suffered a huge blow in Game 4, as backup center Nene suffered a torn left groin and will miss the rest of the playoffs. Nene and starter Clint Capela were giving Houston solid production in the middle and the Rockets will be forced to use power forwards Montrezl Harrell and Ryan Anderson at center. The good news for Houston is that after averaging just 16.5 PPG over the first two games of this series, MVP-candidate James Harden has averaged 35.5 points over the last two contests. San Antonio: The Spurs must now "turn the page" after missing (in a big way) an opportunity to come back to San Antonio up 3-1. The point guard situation is a huge issue (problem?), after the season-ending quadriceps injury to Tony Parker in Game 2. Rookie Dejounte Murray started the past two games and averaged five points and 1.3 assists while backup Patty Mills averaged 12.5 points and 3.5 assists but made just 8-of-21 FG attempts. Star SF Kawhi Leonard scored just 16 points in Game 4 after averaging 27 over the first three games plus PF LaMarcus Aldridge is enduring a mostly quiet series (and postseason), save for his 26-point outburst in Game 3 (on 12 of 20 shooting). Pau Gasol, a two-time NBA champions while with the Lakers, has also been a non-factor, averaging just eight points in the series with just one double-digit effort in four games. The pick: The Rockets looked lost in Game 2 on the road and Game 3 at home, but played a complete game on Sunday. Harden scored 28 points and handed out 12 assists in the win but maybe even more importantly, the Houston bench stepped up, getting 22 points from guards Eric Gordon and 13 from Lou Williams, after the entire reserve unit scored just 10 points in its Game 3 loss. Bottom line in this series just may be that Houston is the better team. However, since moving to the AT&T Center in 2002, the Spurs are 81-28 (.743) in home playoff games, giving them the most such wins by any team in the league during that time span. That said, the Spurs have not been a great home team this season, going 35-11 SU (including the postseason) but just 23-23 ATS. Meanwhile, the Rockets are 27-18 ATS on the road. Take the points and make Houston a 10* play. |
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05-09-17 | Senators v. Rangers OVER 5 | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 16 m | Show |
The set-up: The Rangers have let two games in this series slip away with late-game collapses. New York squandered a late 5-3 lead before sustaining a double-overtime loss in Game 2, then suffered a similar fate in Game 5, as Ottawa tied the game with just 1:26 remaining in the third period, then won in OT when Kyle Turris scored at 6:28 of the first overtime. That puts Ottawa one victory away from reaching the conference final for the third time in franchise history and first since 2007, but for that to happen tonight, the Senators would have to win in MSG, where the Rangers have won 4-1 in both Games 3 and 4 of this series. Ottawa: Turris' Game 5 goal was his third career playoff game-winner, all of which have come in overtime. Captain Erik Karlsson registered the first three-point performance of his playoff career with a trio of assists in Game 5. He has fought through injury to score just one goal but set up 10 others this postseason, setting franchise records for most assists and points by a defenseman in one playoff year. It seemed like the problem for Ottawa in Game 3 was a lack of desperation with the Senators leading the series 2-0. The team's demeanor didn't much change in Game 4 either, with the Senators up 2-1 in the series. The Rangers now face elimination but Ottawa has the safety net of a potential Game 7 on home ice. Can the the Senators avoid a third straight flat performance in "the Garden?" NY Rangers: The Rangers were a better road team than a home team during the regular season but after losing their first home game of this postseason, have won four straight at MSG, including Games 3 and 4 of this series, by scores of 4-1. "Our group of veterans have a lot of experience," head coach Alain Vigneault said to the New York Daily News. "Not just NHL experience, but some guys have won the gold medal at the Olympics; some guys have played in World Cups. There is a lot of experience, and they have to use this experience right, first of all to get themselves ready to go out on the ice and execute and play hard and play well. And if they do that, then it's definitely in my mind going to rub off on the rest of our group that might have a little less experience but are leaning on those players to show them the way." The pick: Henrik Lundqvist has stooped 98 of 102 shots (.961 SP) in New York's four straight postseason home wins plus one could say a game like this has been "his moment." In his last 11 games at MSG with the Rangers facing elimination, Lundqvist is 10-1 with a 1.05 goals-against average, .965 save percentage and two shutouts. However, let me also add that New York's offense has been too much for Ottawa to handle, as the Rangers have scored at least four goals in four straight playoff contests (an average of 4.25 per game), for the first time since a six-game streak during the 1994 postseason. Make the Over a 10* play. |
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05-09-17 | Indians -164 v. Blue Jays | Top | 6-0 | Win | 100 | 11 h 53 m | Show |
The set-up: The struggling Blue Jays recorded a 4-2 victory in the opener of their three-game home series against the Cleveland Indians last night. Edwin Encarnacion was welcomed back to his old stomping grounds and was given repeated thunderous ovations by the Toronto faithful while going 2-for-3 with a walk in his first game against the team he left this past off-season. Encarnacion had topped 30 HRs in each of the last five seasons for the Blue Jays before becoming a free agent and signing with the Indians. Ryan Goins hit a two-run HR and Justin Smoak delivered a two-run single as the Blue Jays fired the opening salvo against the team that defeated them in last season's ALCS. However, at 12-20, the Jays own the second-worst record in the AL, as they look forward to the returns of Troy Tulowitzki (hamstring) and Josh Donaldson (calf) later this month. The Indians sit atop the AL Central but at a modest 17-14, there are three teams within 1 1/2 games of them. The pitching matchup: Carlos Carrasco (3-2 & 2.18 ERA) gets the ball for Cleveland going up against Mike Bolsinger (1-4 & 6.83 ERA in 2016), who will make his 2017 debut. Carrasco defeated Detroit in his last outing, allowing two runs on five hits over six innings. He is 2-1 with a 6.26 ERA in five career appearances (four starts / team is 3-1) versus the Blue Jays. Bolsinger is being called up from Triple-A Buffalo to make a spot start as the club's rotation remains without Aaron Sanchez (fingernail) and J.A. Happ (elbow). He was 1-1 with a 1.46 ERA in four appearances (two starts) for Buffalo and owns an 8-16 record and 4.61 ERA in 37 career major-league appearances (36 starts). He first reached the majors with Arizona in 2014 and spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers each of the last two seasons. He has never faced the Indians. The pick: Bolsinger will be the ninth starter used by Toronto already this season, a major reason (along with the injuries to Tulowitzki and Donaldson), as to why Toronto has struggled early on. No reason to expect a strong effort from Bolsinger in this one and note that Carrasco is 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA in three road starts this season, with a 20-3 KW ratio. Make Cleveland a 10* play. |
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05-09-17 | Nationals v. Orioles UNDER 8.5 | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 52 m | Show |
The set-up: The Nats haven't bested the Orioles in a Beltway Series since going 4-2 back in 2007. The 2017 edition hasn't stared well for the Nats either, as Baltimore rode three HRs to a 6-4 victory on Monday night. Baltimore is now riding a five-game winning streak and sits at 21-10, just a half-game back of the NY Yankees in the AL East (Yanks own MLB's best record at 21-9). Washington fell to 21-11 with a second straight loss, following a four-game winning streak. However, there was good news for Washington, as Bryce Harper returned to the Nationals' lineup on Monday after missing the previous three games with a groin injury and went 2-for-3 with a home run, boosting his season batting average to .385. |
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05-08-17 | Angels v. A's UNDER 8 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 15 h 41 m | Show |
The set-up: Mike Trout (.355, 8 HRs & 21 RBI) is in the midst of a 17-game hitting streak but has missed the Angels' last two contests with tightness in his left hamstring. They hope to have him back on Monday as they visit the Oakland Athletics for the opener of the third series between these two American League West rivals already this season. The Angels lost 5-3 at home to the Astros on Sunday to fall a game under . 500 on the season (16-17), while the A's won on both Saturday and Sunday over the Tigers (each time in walk-off fashion) to give them a 14-17 record. The Angels are 5-2 against the Athletics this season, splitting a season-opening four game series in Oakland but then sweeping a three-game set at home from April 25-27. The pitching matchup: Ricky Nolasco (2-2 & 4.68 ERA) goes for LA and Kendall Graveman (2-2 & 3.95 ERA) for Oakland. These two will face each other for the third time this season. Graveman earned the victory and Nolasco took the loss on Opening Night at the Coliseum when the A's defeated the Angels 4-2, with Nolasco getting even on April 27 in Anaheim when he out-dueled Graveman in a 2-1 Angels victory. Nolasco is unbeaten in his last three outings, winning two straight before escaping Seattle with a no-decision on Wednesday after he surrendered four runs and eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. Nolasco is 4-3 with one shutout and a 3.34 ERA in nine career starts against the Athletics (teams are 5-4). Graveman is looking to rebound from a dismal performance at Minnesota on Wednesday (Twins won 7-4), when he was ripped for six runs on five hits and four walks in just 3 1/3 innings. It was his second consecutive loss since returning from the disabled list after going 2-0 while allowing a total of four runs over 18 innings in three starts prior to being injured. Graveman is 2-2 with one complete game and a 3.28 ERA in eight career starts against the Angels (team is 4-4).The pick: This is the third go-round for these pitchers in 2017, with the first two games ending with game-ending totals of six and three runs. Deja vu all over again, so make the Under a 10* play. |
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05-08-17 | Warriors v. Jazz OVER 206 | Top | 121-95 | Win | 100 | 14 h 37 m | Show |
The set-up: The Warriors used a late sport to put away the Jazz in Game 3, taking a 3-0 lead They also got some good news off the court, head coach Steve Kerr underwent a procedure to address a spinal cord leak and could resume his coaching career as early as later this postseason. Kerr did not travel with the team to Utah and is not expected back soon, but owner Joe Lacob gave a radio interview over the weekend and suggested that he may be getting closer to rejoining the team. As for the Jazz, they led by as much as nine points in the third quarter on Saturday and held Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to a combined 7-of-29 from the floor (3 of 15 on threes) but still lost. "We played like we're capable of playing for the first time in the series," Utah head coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "But … that's why they are who they are." Golden State: With Curry and Thompson suffering through poor shooting nights in Game 3, Kevin Durant took over with 38 points (on 15-of-26 shooting). Green had another solid game and is averaging 15.7-8.3-5.7 in the series. That is the dilemma facing the Warriors' opponents. Shut down one component of Golden State's offense and another component instantly kicks into overdrive. Some games it is Durant. Others it is Curry, Thompson or Green. Utah: The Jazz played their best game of the series in Game 3 but overall, just can't match Golden State's 'arsenal.' Hayward had 29 points Saturday night plus Gobert added 21 & 15. However, Utah's bench was limited to 10 points and went a combined 4 of 22 from the floor. Joe Johnson, Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors all played important roles in Utah's series win over the Clippers but against the Warriors Johnson is averaging just 8.7 PPG (on 33.3% shooting), Hood only 7.7 PPG (also on 33.3% shooting) and Favors has a total of just seven points and 12 rebounds in the series. Adding insult to injury, Utah has been without second-leading scorer George Hill (toe) the last two games and he remains questionable for Game 4. The pick: The Warriors played very efficient on offense in the first two games, handing out 32 assists on 40 FGs in Game 1 and 33 assists on 42 FGs in Game 2. They shot a combined 49.1 percent from the floor through two games and defensively, forced 14.5 turnovers per game while averaging 22 points per game off of turnovers. Golden State was not that good in Game 3, with 17 assists on its 37 FGs and shot just 44.0 percent as a team (30.0% on threes). However, the Warriors still won by 11 points. Not sure the Jazz can beat the Warriors but I do expect a much better offensive effort from them in Game 4. Problem is, anyone expect Curry and Thompson to shoot as poorly as they did in Game 3 here in Game 4? Make the Over a 10* play. |
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05-08-17 | Capitals v. Penguins UNDER 5.5 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -115 | 12 h 17 m | Show |
The set-up: The Caps began the third period of Saturday's Game 5 down 2-1 and 20 minutes away from losing yet another postseason series. However, Washington scored three goals less than eight minutes in, capped by Alex Ovechkin's fifth goal of this year's playoffs (he has three assists for eight points). "We're still down. We take good moments in the game (Saturday) and move forward," Ovechkin told reporters. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and fellow forward Conor Sheary returned on Saturday from one-game absences due to concussions, with Crosby notching his franchise high-tying 96th playoff assist for his 12th point (four goals, eight assists) in nine contests this postseason. Washington: Ovechkin has been impressive versus Pittsburgh with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 18 career postseason games. However, the Penguins have enjoyed the last laugh by winning seven of the previous eight series and going on to capture the Stanley Cup after the last two (2009, 2016). While Ovechkin often gets the headlines, countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov continues to be one of the main stories of this series after scoring a goal in each of the last three games to tie Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin for the team lead with five. Goaltender Hotlby held Pittsburgh at bay in the third period and since getting pulled in Game 2 (a 6-2 Pittsburgh win), has stopped 63 of 70 shots (.900 SP), which includes that "own goal" in Game 4. Pittsburgh: Crosby told reporters that his team needs to focus on puck possession as a means to overcome a huge shot discrepancy in the series (Washington leads 174-115). "I would say just a little bit more zone time," the two-time Hart Trophy winner - and 2017 finalist - told reporters. "If we can hold on to the puck a little bit more, we should get more shots. I think we'll generate a little bit more from that." The Penguins may have won seven of the previous eight series against the Capitals but Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan isn't interested in history, whether it dates back to last season's second-round series versus Washington or the events of Game 5. "We have to have a short memory," Sullivan told reporters. "We just have to reset our mindset and go home and try to put our very best on the ice." The pick: Yes, the Capitals lost Game 6 in Pittsburgh last year 4-3 in overtime but the Capitals had won Game 6 in four off the previous series in which they had trailed 3-2. Can they win here and extend the series to a Game 7 in Washington? Not sure but I do expect this to be a tight one, making the Under a 10* play. |
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05-08-17 | Yankees -135 v. Reds | Top | 10-4 | Win | 100 | 12 h 47 m | Show |
The set-up: The Cincinnati Reds just completed a three-game home sweep of the struggling SF Giants and have now won five straight and seven of eight to reach 17-14. Cincy is atop the NL Central, a half-game better than the Cards and one game better than the Cubs, who finished 35 1/2 games ahead of the Reds in 2016, when Cincinnati lost 94 games. Speaking of the Cubs, they were just swept at home by the Yankees this past weekend, after New York won 5-4 last night on ESPN in 18 innings.The Yankees come to Cincinnati for a two-game IL series tonight, having also won five in a row, as well as nine of their last 11 to give them a MLB-best 20-9 record. The pitching matchup: The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka (4-1 & 4.46 ERA) to the mound vs. the Reds' Rookie Davis (1-1 & 7.36 ERA). New York could use some length from Tanaka, as the bullpen went 11 innings, using six pitchers last night. Tanaka wasn't particularly sharp in his last outing (allowed four runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings) against Toronto but came away with an 11-5 win, his fourth straight. However, he had registered three consecutive quality starts prior to that outing, permitting a total of only four runs over 22 1/3 innings (1.61 ERA) with 14 strikeouts and four walks in that span. Tanaka has not faced the Reds but is a solid 6-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 11 interleague starts. Davis earned his first major-league victory with his most impressive performance of 2017 on Wednesday, when he held Pittsburgh to four hits and three walks over five scoreless innings. That was quite a turnaround, as he had not made it past four innings in any of his previous three outings, allowing 13 runs on 18 hits and seven walks over 9 2/3 innings (12.10 ERA). Davis will be facing an American League team for the first time in his career. The pick: Both teams come off three-game weekend sweeps and enter on five-game winning streaks but the Yankees are the better team, at least right now. Plus, it's hard not to favor Tanaka over Davis. New York swept the Reds in three games the last time they met in 2014 (in the Bronx) and also took two of three in the last series at Cincinnati three years earlier. Make the Yankees an 8* play. |
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05-07-17 | Spurs v. Rockets OVER 212 | Top | 104-125 | Win | 100 | 13 h 4 m | Show |
The set-up: The Rockets shocked the Spurs with a 27-point win at San Antonio in Game 1. However, the Spurs have responded by winning Game 2 at home by 25 points and then earning back the home court edge with a 103-92 win at Houston in Game 3. That win came after the Spurs were informed that Tony Parker is through for the postseason plus the Spurs also survived a 43-point effort by James Harden. The Spurs now look to take a 3-1 lead in tonight's Game 4 in Houston, while the Rockets look for Harden's teammates to rebound from an awful Game 3 performance. San Antonio: Parker is out for the rest of the postseason after rupturing a quadriceps tendon in Game 2 but Pop decided to keep Patty Mills in a backup role. Rookie Dejounte Murray (two points in 15 minutes) made the start on Friday and will be in the opening lineup again on Sunday. However, Mills scored 15 points in 30 minutes. Kawhi had a "typical" game on Friday, scoring 26 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists. However, the underachieving Aldridge made a big contribution as well with his best postseason game this year (26 points). He was 12-of-20 shooting in Game 3 after averaging just 9.5 points on 8-of-22 shooting over the first two games of the series. Houston: Harden entered Game 3 having struggled from the floor in the last two games of the OKC series and the first two of this series. However, while Harden was terrific on Friday, his fellow backcourt teammates were just awful. Beverley plus reserves Gordon and Williams combined for 17 points (Williams was scoreless), going 6 of 27 (22.2%) from the floor, including 2 of 10 on threes. Starting SF Ryan Anderson had just two points and super-sub Nene, who starred against OKC, had just one point. The pick: Maybe the Rockets are still not up to taking down the Spurs in this kind of setting but no way Houston shoots as poorly as it did in Game 3, again. Including the postseason, Houston has averaged 116.3 PPG at home but has also allowed 107.6 points. That makes the Over an 8* play. |
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05-07-17 | Ducks v. Oilers -119 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 100 | 11 h 9 m | Show |
The set-up: The Anaheim Ducks lost Games 1 and 2 of this series on their home ice but evened the series with back-to-back wins in Edmonton, before taking a 4-3 win in double-OT at home in Game 5, a game in which they became the first team in NHL history to win a playoff hockey game by overcoming a three-goal deficit with less than final four minutes remaining in regulation! The Ducks now look to put the finishing touches on the series, by closing out the Oilers at Edmonton in Sunday night's Game 6. Anaheim: Corey Perry scored the Game 5-winner but Anaheim's been led by captain Ryan Getzlaf (15 points on eight goals & seven assists) and Jakob Silfverberg (11 points on seven goals & four assists). "Well, I don't know if there is a recipe. I don't know if there is something you can hang your hat on other than you cannot quit believing when you're in any situation," Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle told reporters on the heels of Corey Perry recording his franchise-best third OT goal in the postseason in a 4-3 double-overtime victory. Edmonton: The Oilers are in the postseason for the first time since 2006 but after taking a 2-0 lead over the Ducks, now find themselves on the brink of elimination. Edmonton captain Connor McDavid carries both a three-game goal-scoring streak and a bit of determination into Sunday's tilt. "There's not much that can really be said right now," he told reporters after Game 5's stunning loss. "It (stinks). But we'll be back here Wednesday (for a Game 7)." McDavid led the NHL with 100 points (30 goals & 70 assists) in the regular season but it's fellow center Leon Draisaitl (77 points), who leads the Oilers in scoring this postseason with 11 points (3 goals and 8 assists). McDavid has five goals and four assists. The pick: Game 5 saw the home team win in this series for the first time but it took a record-setting comeback (see above). The key will be Oilers goalie Cam Talbot, who was perfect through the first 56-plus minutes in Game 5, but then collapsed. He led Edmonton to six wins in eight games to open this season's playoffs (allowed 18 goals) but has now allowed 14 goals in three straight losses. My bet says he bounces back. Make Edmonton a 10* play. |
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05-07-17 | Celtics +5 v. Wizards | Top | 102-121 | Loss | -115 | 10 h 30 m | Show |
The set-up: The Washington/Boston series is the highest-scoring second round series (games have averaged 229 points) and it's also the lone series in which the home team has won and covered each game, after the Wizards emphatically announced they are still in the series with a blowout win in Game 3. However, the Wizards need to keep the intensity without the technicals. Washington rolled to a 116-89 win in a Game 3 but the contest featured eight technical fouls, three ejections and one flagrant foul that came when Wizards forward Kelly Oubre Jr. reacted to a hard screen by Boston's Kelly Olynyk by running and shoving him to the ground. Oubre is suspended for Game 4. The Celtics overcame big early deficits to win each of the first two games of the series but never recovered after a 22-0 run led to Washington taking a 39-17 lead after the first quarter of Game 3. Boston: "I think that it’s a lot less about talking about it and just doing it," Boston head coach Brad Stevens told reporters of the need for better starts. "That’s the bottom line: We have to play better out of the gate than we’ve played. And that’s not just (Game 3); that’s all three games of this series and a few of the games during the regular season." PG Isaiah Thomas had 53 points in Game 2 but was limited to 13 points in 29 minutes in Game 3 and did not start the second half while staying in the locker room undergoing dental work. Boston's entire team shot poorly in Game 3, making just 35.1 percent from the floor, including going only 10 of 32 on threes. Washington: John Wall reminded all that there is another PG in this series beside Thomas, scoring 24 points and handing out eight assists. However, it was a team effort by Washington in Game 3, as all five starers scored in double digits (Gortat had a double-double with 13 & 16) plus Bogdanovic finally made some 'noise' with 19 points off the bench, including shooting 4 of 7 on threes.The pick: The Wizards finally made their strong start hold up in Game 3 (led 39-17 after the 1st quarter) and clearly turned up the physicality. However, as noted, Washington needs to find a balance. Also, Bradley Beal needs to find his shooting touch, as he's shooting only 27.4 percent from three-point range in the postseason, including just 2-of-13 over the last two games of this series. Brooks made the needed adjustments in Game 3 and it's now Stevens' turn. Stevens has done a great job coaching this team, as the Game 3 loss ended a 6-0 ST & ATS run for Boston. I expect the road team to break through for the first time in this series and I'll make Boston an 8* play. |
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05-07-17 | Cavs v. Raptors +7.5 | Top | 109-102 | Win | 100 | 8 h 35 m | Show |
The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers needed six games to beat the Toronto Raptors in last year's Eastern Conference finals, although the four wins came by an average margin of 28.5 PPG. The two teams are meeting a round earlier this season and after sweeping the Pacers in the first round, the Cavs now own a 3-0 series lead over the Raptors in this series. Cleveland won Game 1 by "just" 11 points but note that the Cavs led by 22 points entering the fourth quarter in that contest. Cleveland then won Game 2 by the score of 125-103 and then Game 3 by 115-94. Cleveland received some much-needed rest after sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the opening round and will receive another break if it can close out the Raptors on Sunday. Toronto was outscored 36-17 in the fourth quarter of Game 3 when it needed a supreme 12 minutes to make it a series and will likely be without starting point guard Kyle Lowry (ankle) for the second consecutive contest. "I'm probably doubtful, honestly," Lowry told reporters on Saturday. "I don't think I'll be able to play. ... It's not looking great, but I'm not giving up on it." Cleveland: "For myself, I just focus on that game," Cavaliers forward LeBron James said after Game 3. I don't really think about the sweep, I don't think of anything but how can I as leader of the ballclub put our guys in a position to be successful." The Raptors haven't come close to stopping LBJ, who is averaging 36.3 points and shooting 60.4 percent from the floor in the series. He has been superb overall in seven games this postseason with averages of 34.3 points, nine rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.4 steals. Toronto: SG DeMar DeRozan produced a career playoff-best 37 points in Game 3, after he had scored just five points on 2-of-11 shooting in Game 2. It looks like Lowry will be out again, so DeRozan will need another huge effort. Cory Joseph started for Lowry in Game 3 and was awful, scoring only four points (on 2-of-12 shooting) with six assists in 33 minutes. He'll have to do better and so will every other Raptor getting "PT" in Game 4. The pick: Maybe I'm just "spitting into the wind" but the Raptors were 2-for-18 on 3-point shots on Friday, missing their first 12 of the game. That's far from typical. "I thought we did an excellent job of moving the basketball, finding the right person," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said. "But again, it's something we've done, knocking down 3s all year and, for whatever reason, it's escaping us right now." Casey added, " ... At one point, we were one of the better offensive teams in the league, depending on the 3s, knocking down the 3, and now we have to transfer it from regular-season basketball to playoff basketball." Make Toronto an 8* play. |
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05-07-17 | Blues v. Predators UNDER 5 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 7 h 14 m | Show |
The set-up: The St. Louis Blues staved off elimination with a 2-1 win home win on Friday over the Predators, after losing consecutive games in Nashville to fall behind 3-1 in this second round series. The Predators are the West's No. 8 seed but take to their home ice on Sunday with a chance to advance to the Western Conference finals, something the franchise has yet to do. The Blues now face another win-or-go-home scenario when they visit the Predators on Sunday afternoon in Game 6 St. Louis: Jaden Schwartz delivered the tie-breaking goal in the first minute of the third period in Game 5's 2-1 win but St. Louis was able to score just one goal in each road loss to the Predators. "We know that we’re going to have to be even better next game," Blues head coach Mike Yeo told reporters. "We lost home-ice along the way here, so we have to find a way to win a game in their building and we know it won’t be an easy challenge for us, but we’ll be up for it.” So he hopes. Nashville: The Predators own a spotless 4-0 record in Nashville during the postseason, having allowed just five goals in their four wins at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville's No. 1 line of Ryan Johansen and 31-goal scorers Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg were dominant in a first-round sweep of top-seeded Chicago, combining for 15 points in the stunning upset. However, that unit has pretty much been kept in check by St. Louis, managing a total of three points - getting zero production from Arvidsson and one point from Johansen. 'Saving' the Predators has been goalie Pekka Rinne. There were questions about the drop-off in Rinne's play entering the playoffs but he has posted a 7-2-0 mark, 1.41 goals-against average and a staggering .951 save percentage, The pick: St. Louis netminder Blues Jake Allen owns a 1.94 GAA and .937 SP in the playoffs but his team hasn't been able to score enough. In particular, the Blues are 1 of 14 with a man advantage against Nashville and a woeful 2 of 29 on the power play in this year's playoffs, to-date. Make the Under a 10* play. |
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05-07-17 | Red Sox -164 v. Twins | Top | 17-6 | Win | 100 | 6 h 12 m | Show |
The set-up: Boston has really missed Ortiz in the early going of 2017 and after scoring just 10 runs in their previous three games, the Red Sox shuffled their lineup a bit on Saturday with excellent results. Boston manager John Farrell sat slumping Jackie Bradley Jr. in favor of Chris Young and put Andrew Benintendi in the cleanup spot for the first time in his brief career Saturday. Young sparked an eight-run second-inning uprising with his first HR of the season, Benintendi began a three-hit effort later in the frame with a two-run double and Young slugged his second solo shot in three at-bats three innings later to extend Boston's cushion. Boston's 11-1 victory represented a season-best run total. The pitching matchup: The rubber match of this three game series (Twins won 4-3 on Friday) will feature two of MLB's top performers in the early part of the season. Chris Sale (2-2 & 1.38 ERA) gets the nod for Boston and Ervin Santana (5-0 & 0.66 ERA) for Minnesota. Sale has worked at least seven innings and allowed two runs or less in all six of his 2017 starts but a lack of run support has led to just two wins (Boston is 4-2 in his six games, though). The five-time All-Star has struck out at least 10 in five straight outings and ranks second in the majors in WHIP (0.74) as well as being fourth in ERA. Santana worked around three walks and continued his exceptional start to the season Tuesday against Oakland, yielding only three singles and striking out seven in six scoreless innings of a 9-1 win. He has allowed a total of just three ERs and only 16 hits over 41 innings, as he leads the majors in ERA and WHIP (0.71) and is tied for the league lead in wins. The pick: Neither pitcher has good LT records against the team they are facing (Sale's ERA is 4.58 in 16 starts against Minnesota and Santana's ERA in 5.11 against Boston in 15 starts) but that was then and this is now. I've included plenty of stats above but will add here that Sale leads the majors with 63 strikeouts while holding hitters to a .166 batting average, second only to Santana's .120 mark. Kudos to Santana but Sale's in the prime of his career while Santana's 2017 effort seems "too good to be true." Let's also note that while Boston won 93 games in 2016, Minnesota lost 103. These teams are not equals. Make Boston an 8* play. |
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05-07-17 | Cardinals v. Braves UNDER 8.5 | Top | 6-4 | Loss | -105 | 6 h 35 m | Show |
The set-up: The Braves were coming off a 68-93 season in 2016 but players and fans alike were looking forward to 2017, if for no other reason than the team was opening a new home stadium, SunTrust Park. However, Atlanta is just 11-17 to open the season and after starting 4-0 in its new stadium, the Braves have dropped seven of their last eight games at home. The Cards missed the postseason in 2016 for the first time since 2010 and started slowly in 2017 at 3-9. However, they have won 12 of 17 games since, including the first two of this three-game series in Atlanta, 10-0 on Friday and 5-3 last night. St. Louis goes for its first series sweep on the road this year when the Cards cap a three-game set at SunTrust Park with Braves on Sunday afternoon. The pitching matchup: Michael Wacha (2-1 & 3.23 ERA) takes the mound for the Cards and R.A. Dickey (3-2 & 3.94 ERA) for the Braves. Wacha gave up a season-high four ERs in six innings of a no-decision against Milwaukee this past Monday but note that he's off to a solid start in 2017, lasting at least six innings while walking two batters or less in all five of his starts (has 28 Ks in 30 2/3 innings). He owns 3.12 ERA in three career games versus Atlanta but is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in one start. Unlike the 25-year-old Wacha, Dickey will be making the 375th appearance and 275th start of his career. He's looking for a third straight win but although he has held opponents to a .248 average, six of the 19 hits he has allowed over the last four starts have been HRs. Dickey owns a 4.09 ERA in seven career appearances against St. Louis. That includes five starts in which he's 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA (teams are 4-1). The pick: The Cards have now won five straight in Atlanta dating back to Turner Field last season and Wacha is beginning to show signs of the pitcher we saw back in the 2013 postseason (4-1 & 2.64 ERA) and 2015's regular season (17-7). As noted, Dickey hasn't given up many hits lately (19 in his last 24 innings) but six have left the park. Expect him to clean that up here and I'll make the Under a 10* play. |
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05-06-17 | Warriors -5 v. Jazz | Top | 102-91 | Win | 100 | 31 h 40 m | Show |
The set-up: The Warriors haven't really been tested yet by Utah in taking the first two games of this series but in winning by 12 and 11 points, Golden State is 0-2 ATS. The Jazz fell behind by six points after the first quarter in Game 1 and the fell behind by 18 points after the first period in Game 2. Utah has yet to lose complete touch in any of the first two games but the Jazz haven't really threatened yet, either. Golden State: The Warriors' hot start in Game 2 was led by Draymond Green, who knocked down four of his five 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 21 points before leaving after a scary fall in the fourth quarter. However, he seemed unconcerned about the injury following the contest. "I knew my knee was just locking up a little bit," Green told reporters. "I had it before. A little tweak. It wasn't like this huge sigh of relief because I kind of knew exactly what it was from the jump. But it's always good to know you're OK." Utah: The Jazz know they need to get off to a better start at home. "I do think we have to start the game better," Utah head coach Quin Snyder told reporters. "Hopefully we can do that at home. But we also want to try and be ahead at the end. If you don't start well, you're climbing an uphill battle. I think that means being more aggressive on offense. If you're not, they really capitalize going the other way." Gordon Hayward scored a game-high 33 points in Game 2 after slumping to 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting in Game 1 but PG George Hill sat out Game 2 with a toe injury and remains day-to-day. Joe Johnson was a star against the Clippers (15.7 PPG) but he's scored just a total of just 19 points in two games against the Warriors, shooting 7 of 18 from the floor (38.9%). Also, Favors made big contributions off the bench in support of and in relief of Gobert against LA, but has been a non-factor against the Warriors. The pick: The Warriors made comments prior to the series about wanting to face the Clippers instead of the Jazz in the second round due to the more varied nightlife options in Los Angeles. That could mean that the lack of nightlife on the road will keep the Warriors focused on Game 3! The Warriors have played very efficiently offense, handing out 32 assists on 40 FGs in Game 1 and 33 assists on 42 FGs in Game 2. They have shot a combined 49.1 percent from the floor through two games and defensively, have forced 14.5 turnovers per game while averaging 22 points per game off of turnovers. The Warriors are too good for the Jazz. Make Golden State a 10* play. |
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05-06-17 | Diamondbacks v. Rockies UNDER 11.5 | Top | 1-9 | Win | 100 | 12 h 5 m | Show |
The set-up: Neither the Diamondbacks nor the Rockies contended in 2016 (Colorado was only 75-87 and Arizona even worse at 69-93) but the Rockies are currently atop the NL West at 18-12, with the D'backs just a half-game back at 18-13. Arizona closed the gap to a half-game with last night's 6-3 win in Coors, led by Paul Goldschmidt's two HRs and season-high five RBI. The pitching matchup: A pair of left-handers take the mound on Saturday night, Patrick Corbin (2-3 & 2.29 ERA) for Arizona and Tyler Anderson (1-3 & 7.71 ERA) for Colorado. Corbin allowed just two hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a no-decision against Colorado last Sunday and is 5-2 with a 4.48 ERA in 13 career starts against them (team is 10-3). Corbin comes in on a roll, having allowed just four ERs over his last three starts (1.86 ERA), while striking out 23, against just four walks, in 19 1/3 innings. Anderson has to be happy that April is over. The team actually split his six starts last month, despite him posting a 7.71 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and .303 BAA. He gave up a season-high six runs in five innings (allowed three HRs) but escaped with a no-decision against Arizona in his last start on April 29. Speaking of HRs, he's allowed nine in his 30 1/3 innings this season. Anderson has three no-decisions against Arizona but has posted a 7.80 ERA and 2.09 WHIP in those outings (team is 1-2). The pick: The over may be tempting to some but Corbin comes in pitching very well plus Anderson is not as bad as he's pitched so far. In fact, he allowed three ERs or less in 10 of his 12 home starts last season. Make the Under a 10* play. |
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05-06-17 | Penguins v. Capitals -162 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 30 h 30 m | Show |
The set-up: The Penguins played without Sidney Crosby in Game 4 but were able to win 3-2 and now own a 3-1 lead over the Caps in this second round series. Game 5 is tonight in Washington and Pittsburgh has a chance to eliminate the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals for the second time in as many years. Crosby skated alongside his teammates and was a full participant in drills during practice on Friday (four days after sustaining the reported fourth concussion of his career). When asked about Crosby's availability for Game 5, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was quick to add that his day-to-day status "hasn't changed at all." Pittsburgh: Conor Sheary also practiced on Friday, after sustaining a concussion in Monday's Game 3. Sheary has struggled to maintain his scoring pace since being bumped from the top line alongside Crosby with just two assists in eight playoff contests (had a 53-point regular season, including 23 goals). Rookie Jake Guentzel continued his scintillating postseason by recording his fourth multi-point performance on Wednesday, increasing his goal total to eight to join Maurice "Rocket" Richard (12 in 1944), Mario Lemieux (11 in 1989) and Wayne Gretzky (nine in 1980-81) with at least that many tallies in his first nine career playoff games. Washington: Are the Capitals showing signs of desperation by shuffling captain Alex Ovechkin to the third line in practice on Friday? "(We're) here to do whatever it takes to get the win and move forward," the three-time Hart Trophy winner told the Washington Post after skating with Lars Eller and Tom Wilson. "I don't think it's to send a message or something." As Archie Bunker used to say, "Whatever!' Ovechkin publicly accepted the blame for the team's Game 4 loss. Yes, head coach Barry Trotz called out his team's best players in the wake of Washington being pushed to the brink of elimination but it's wasn't just Ovechkin. Last season's Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby has been outplayed by counterpart Marc-Andre Fleury, as he owns a 3.00 GAA and a poor .867 save percentage in the series. The pick: This has been a one-sided playoff rivalry, with Pittsburgh winning seven of the previous eight series and going on to capture the Stanley Cup after the last two (2009, 2016). The Penguins own a 13-3 mark when leading a best-of-seven series by a 3-1 margin but note that during the Crosby/Evgeni Malkin era, the Penguins are a modest 16-13 (1-1 this year) in games in which they can eliminate an opponent. I'm sure not about to call for the Caps to win three straight but that's not the question to be answered here in Game 5. Yes, Washington has been outscored 14-9 in the series but the Caps have 49 more shots on goal than the Penguins. In Game 4, Washington had a 38-18 advantage but was undone by mistakes. A goal deflected in off Dmitry Orlov's skate and the team took six offensive-zone penalties, including one as Holtby was being pulled for an extra attacker. Make Washington a 10* play in this one. |
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05-06-17 | Red Sox -151 v. Twins | Top | 11-1 | Win | 100 | 6 h 5 m | Show |
The set-up: The Minnesota Twins enter the first weekend of May in first place in the American League Central at 15-12. That's quite an improvement from last year's 59-103 record, as the Twins finished in last-place for the fourth time in the last six seasons. They will host the Red Sox in this second of a three-game series this afternoon, after winning Friday night's game 4-3 on Joe Mauer's walk-off HR (surprisingly, the first of his career). With the loss, Boston fell to 4-7 on the road and 15-14, overall. The Red Sox really miss es Ortiz, as last year's team led all of MLB in team BA (.282) and runs scored (5.42 per game). The 2017 Red Sox come in batting .266 and more concerning, are scoring only 3.79 RPG to rank 26th of 30 teams! The pitching matchup: Rick Porcello (1-4 & 4.46 ERA) will get the nod for Boston and Nick Tepesch (NR) gets the start for Minnesota. Porcello is off a 2016 season in which he won the AL's Cy Young, going 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA (team was 25-8, plus-$1470 to rank 3rd-best in all his starts). However, he has already matched his 2016 loss total, although a lack run support has been a contributing factor. He's only had one bad start (allowed eight ERs in 4 1/3 innings April 14th vs. the Rays), as he has allowed just four ERs in his three starts since that outing over 19 2/3 innings (1.83 ERA) but each start has ended in a loss. Porcello is 9-9 with 3.94 ERA in 27 career starts against the Twins, with his teams going 13-14. Nick Tepesch spent time in four different organizations in 2016 while combining to go 8-4 with a 3.96 ERA, all at the Triple-A level. He went 1-1 with a 2.00 mark with 17 strikeouts in 18 innings through three starts to begin this season for Triple-A Rochester and makes his Minnesota debut in the majors this afternoon. He has never faced Boston but is 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in two previous starts at Target Field. The pick: Tepesch was originally drafted out of high school by the Red Sox before choosing to attend the University of Missouri, He has appeared in 43 career major league games, making 40 starts, with a 9-18 record and 4.68 ERA. He started his career in Texas, where he saw time in the majors in 2013 and 2014. He made his way back in 2016 for Los Angeles and that's where he made his most recent start in the "bigs," back on June 24, 2016, Boston has struggled at the plate but Tepesch could be "just what the doctor ordered." As for Porcello, he's pitched well without any luck over his last three turns and is overdue for some help. Make Boston an 8* play. |
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05-05-17 | Oilers +125 v. Ducks | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 15 h 38 m | Show |
The set-up: The Anaheim Ducks were in the midst of a 12-game home point streak (11-0-1) as they began their second round series with the Edmonton Oilers. However, the Oilers won both Games 1 and 2 at Honda Center. Shaken, the Ducks traveled to Rogers Centre in Edmonton for the next two games but just like against the Flames in Calgary, Alberta has been good to the Ducks this postseason. Anaheim won Games 3 and 4 in Calgary and did the same in Edmonton, as the series now returns to Southern California for the all-important Game 5, tied at two-all. "It's a weird series when you take that both teams have went into one another's building and won both games," Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle told reporters. "So I'm sure they're looking at it and saying, 'We've got road-ice advantage. We're going to try to defend it. It's our serve.'" Edmonton: Captain Connor McDavid, the Art Ross Trophy winner, had a highlight-reel goal in Game 3 and added another tally in Wednesday's 4-3 OT loos, giving him a point in five of his last six contests. He wasn't hanging his head after his team dropped both contests at Rogers Place telling reporters, "I think everyone feels pretty good, even though losing both (games) at home is not ideal. We're going into a building that we feel pretty comfortable playing in, we've had success there before. We've been a pretty good road team this year, the guys seem to jell on the road." Anaheim: Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf had a four-point performance in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime victory (two goals / two assists) and surpassed Teemu Selanne (35) for first place on the franchise's all-time playoff list (he also has a team-best 13 points in eight playoff games this postseason). Jakob Silfverberg scored the second-fastest overtime goal in franchise playoff history when he tallied 45 seconds into the extra session in Game 4, extending his goal-scoring streak to four contests and playoff total to seven in eight games. The pick: Edmonton got blasted 7-0 on April 18 at San Jose in the first round, tying that series at two-all. However, the Oilers responded by taking the next two games to advance and head coach Todd McLellan'sexpects the team to step up. "We won two games in (the Ducks') building. Obviously, it's a road series," he told the Edmonton Journal. "We'll take road-ice advantage into Game 5." I'm sticking with Todd's prediction and will make Edmonton an 8* play. |
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05-05-17 | Spurs v. Rockets OVER 214.5 | Top | 103-92 | Loss | -102 | 14 h 34 m | Show |
San Antonio: Parker had a poor regular season but was having a rebirth in the playoffs, averaging 15.9 PPG on 52.5 percent shooting (including 57.95 on threes), despite a scoreless Game 2 against Memphis. However, it will now be up to Patty Mills to step up and lessen Parker's loss. "I can tell you one thing, that we're all ready," Mills said after Game 2. "We're all ready to step up and make an impact." San Antonio will also need LaMarcus Aldridge to step up. He was signed to a max contract prior to last season but sure hasn't played like a "max" player this postseason. He's averaging just 13.5 PPG on 43.3 percent shooting (down from 47.7% in the regular seaosn) and after making 41.1% on threes this year, he's 0 for 6 in the postseason. Houston: The Rockets have to be happy with a split in San Antonio but it's fair for them to be concerned over Harden's recent play. He made just 13 of 41 shots (31.7%), including 2 of 20 on threes, in the final two games vs. OKC. Here in this series, he averaged only 16.5 PPG while shooting 9 of 30 (30.0%), including 5 of 17 on threes. Harden has averaged 12 assists in the two contests but his overall numbers are a significant drop-off from the regular season, when he averaged 29.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 11.8 assists in four games against the Spurs. The pick: The Rockets blitzed the Spurs in Game 1 but surrendered that momentum with a fourth-quarter collapse in Game 2 (SA outscored Houston 33-13 in the final period). One team will be up 2-1 after Game 3 but I'm not sure which one. However, the Rockets are averaging 116.9 PPG at home (including the playoffs). The winner of the first two games has scored 126 and 121 points plus the last two meetings of the regular season between these two teams saw those games average 220.5 points. Make the Over an 8* Play |
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05-05-17 | Diamondbacks -107 v. Rockies | Top | 6-3 | Win | 100 | 10 h 50 m | Show |
The set-up: The Rockies were 75-87 last season and the D'backs were 69-93, with both teams well behind the division-winning Dodgers by 16 and 22 games, respectively. However, in the early going of 2017, Colorado sits at 18-11 and in first place in the NL West, while the D'backs are right behind them at 17-13 (1 1/2 games back). That sets the stage for this three-game series with the D'backs at Coors Field. Colorado has produced sub-.500 records away from Coors Field each of the last seven seasons but Thursday's 3-2, 11-inning victory at San Diego gives them an 11-5 road record in 2017, -the second-best mark in the majors behind Washington. Arizona fell 4-2 in Washington on Thursday in the rubber match of that three-game series, which was the first leg of this six-game road trip against the teams with the two best records in the NL. The pitching matchup: Zack Greinke (2-2 & 3.19 ERA) will get the ball for Arizona on Friday and German Marquez (0-1 & 7.20 ERA) for Colorado. Greinke struck out nine over six innings last Saturday at home vs. the Rockies but surrendered three solo HRs in a no-decision versus Colorado (Rockies won 7-6 on a three-run 9th!). The 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner is 7-4 with a 4.11 ERA in 21 games (20 starts / teams are 12-8) versus the Rockies in his career. Marquez is a rookie making his third start of 2017. He rebounded from a poor season debut (eight runs allowed over just four innings in a 15-12 loss to Washington on April 25) with a terrific outing in a no-decision last Sunday at Arizona, allowing six hits and walking one while striking out eight over six scoreless innings. Marquez has worked eight scoreless innings in two career appearances (one start) against the Diamondbacks. The pick: Colorado has had its struggles at Coors Field early in 2017, going just 7-6, mainly because it's allowed 6.15 RPG at home. The Diamondbacks are 12-5 at Chase Field and just 5-8 on the road but Greinke over Marquez makes this a 10* play on Arizona. |
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05-05-17 | Predators v. Blues UNDER 5 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 12 h 53 m | Show |
The set-up: The Nashville Predators may be the No. 8 seed in the West but after a 2-1 Game 4 win, they are on the verge of advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history. The Predators won back-to-back games in Nashville to push St. Louis to the brink of elimination and up their postseason record to a stunning 7-1. The Blues scored just two goals in two games in Nashville (one in each) and can hardly count on a return home to serve as a panacea, as they are just 6-8 in their last 14 playoff games at Scottrade Center, including 2-2 this postseason. Nashville: Pekka Rinne was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the eighth round in 2004, back when the franchise was celebrating its first playoff appearance. Thirteen years, 11 NHL seasons and 564 games later, Rinne and the team that drafted him are a win away from reaching a place they've never been before. There were questions about the drop-off in Rinne's play entering the playoffs but he has posted a 7-1-0 mark, 1.33 goals-against average and a staggering .953 save percentage, the highest for a netminder with at least eight starts since 1982-83. Nashville's defensemen have played well in front of him plus have scored eight goals and added 14 assists in the team's eight playoff games. St. Louis: The Blues know they must reduce their time in the penalty box, after seven minors in Game 4 and six in Game 3. St. Louis must also improve its own power play, as the Blues are 1 of 9 with a man advantage against Nashville and a woeful 2 of 24 on the power play in this year's playoffs, to-date. One player the Blues can't blame is goaltender Jake Allen, who owns a 2.05 GAA and .936 SP. The pick: I expect nothing to change in Game 5. Allen will play well but the Blues just can't get much (if anything?) past Rinne. Nashville's 11 goals allowed in eight playoff games is the fourth-lowest total since the expansion era. Make the Under an 8* play. |
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