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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and EPL Previews and Odds - 05/28/2023

The Sunday sports card features action in MLB and EPL.The Sunday card in Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Los Angeles Dodgers visit Tampa Bay to play the Rays on Peacock at 11:35 AM ET. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 PM ET. The New York Yankees host the San Diego Padres as a -145 money-line favorite, with the total set at 7.5 (all MLB odds from DraftKings). The Baltimore Orioles play at home against the Texas Rangers as a -140 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Two MLB games start at 1:40 PM ET. The St. Louis Cardinals are in Cleveland to play the Guardians as a -140 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Detroit Tigers are at home against the Chicago White Sox as a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.Three MLB games begin at 2:10 PM ET. The Washington Nationals play in Kansas City against the Royals, with both teams priced at -110 with a total of 9. The Toronto Blue Jays visit Minnesota to play the Twins as a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The San Francisco Giants are in Milwaukee to play the Brewers as a -130 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Chicago Cubs host the Cincinnati Reds at 2:20 PM ET as a -155 money-line favorite. The New York Mets travel to Colorado to play the Rockies at 3:10 PM ET as a -145 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 12.5.Two MLB games start at 4:07 PM ET. The Houston Astros play in Oakland against the A’s as a -250 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Los Angeles Angels are at home against the Miami Marlins as a -140 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two more MLB games begin at 4:10 PM ET. The Arizona Diamondbacks play at home against the Boston Red Sox as a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Seattle Mariners host the Pittsburgh Pirates as a -150 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN has the Atlanta Braves playing at home against the Philadelphia Phillies at 7:10 PM ET. The Braves are a -265 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5.The English Premier League completes its season with Matchweek 38’s ten matches starting at 11:30 AM ET. Arsenal plays at home against Wolverhampton as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3.5 (all soccer odds from BetMGM). Aston Villa hosts Brighton and Hove Albion as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3. Manchester City plays at Brentford as a -0.5 goal-line road favorite with an over/under of 3. Newcastle United visits Chelsea in a pick ‘em match with a total of 2.5. Crystal Palace plays at home against Nottingham Forest as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Everton is at home against Bournemouth on the USA Network as a -1 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. Tottenham travels to Leeds United on CNBC as a -0.5 goal-line road favorite with an over/under of 3.5. Leicester City hosts West Ham United as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. Manchester United plays at home against Fulham as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3.5. Liverpool is at Southampton as a -1.5 goal-line road favorite with a total of 3.5.

Lionel Messi: What’s Next?

There has been a lot of speculation about what move is next for the Argentine footballer Lionel Messi as his contract with Paris Saint-Germain is set to expire this summer. Messi just won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with Argentina this past December and now after just 2 years of playing in France, will be on the move once again.  Where To?Taking a look at the oddsmakers, the books have quite a few possible clubs that Messi could sign with this summer if looking to wager on it but there are 3 clubs that really stand out as the 3 favorites. These 3 clubs that have the best chance of signing Messi are Barcelona from La Liga, Al Hilal Riyadh from the Saudi Pro League, and Inter Miami from the MLS. Inter Miami is listed at +600 and is the least likely to sign him of these 3 clubs, but there has been talks for years about Messi joining Miami in a move to the MLS and it simply has not happened yet as Messi feels like he can still play at a very competitive level. This leaves us with only 2 possibilities of where Messi could be headed in the summer and PSG is definitely not one of them as there is no reasonable scenario that would see Messi wearing a PSG kit once again come fall. The only 2 realistic options for Messi to go to this summer would be to either reunite with his former club Barcelona in La Liga, or to ink a deal with Al Hilal Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League, and there is a clear favorite here despite the oddsmakers having both Barcelona and Al Hilal Riyadh listed at -110.It all started back in December during the 2022 Qatar World Cup when Cristiano Ronaldo was dealing with issues at Manchester United which forced him to leave the club and as a result, he was offered a deal from Al Nassr to play in the Saudi Pro League which he took after Portugal was eliminated from the World Cup. Ronaldo was the 1st piece of the puzzle in a Saudi Pro League looking to expand and create more excitement by attracting some of the world’s biggest stars, and they have done nothing but gain steam since inking that deal with Ronaldo. Flash forward to a few weeks ago when a possible future with PSG was ruled out once and for all as PSG handed Messi a suspension for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia to talk with the club Al Hilal Riyadh. It is very clear by now that Al Hilal Riyadh is the clear favorite to get the World Cup winning star this summer and the books tend to agree with their line movement that has been very telling. Back in January after Ronaldo signed with Al Nassr, the books still did not take this club seriously as Al Hilal Riyadh was listed as a +800 to land Messi in the summer. Then, just a few weeks ago before receiving his suspension, the odds had moved down to +300 for him to sign with the Saudi club. Now we are at the end of the European seasons after Messi was handed his suspension from PSG and the odds have Al Hilal Riyadh listed at -110 with Barcelona when Barcelona was -200 just a few weeks ago. Lionel Messi’s transfer to the Saudi Pro League has been doing nothing but gaining steam over the last few months and at this point in time, it pretty much feels inevitable that he is going to sign with Al Hilal Riyadh come fall.  The ComplicationsAt first glance, the possibility of Messi reuniting with Barcelona seems like the most reasonable avenue for him to go, but in reality, there are a lot of complications that are preventing this from happening, leading to Al Hilal Riyadh being the move that makes the most sense. Barcelona recently got themselves caught up in a lot of financial issues this year and after all of the signings they made last summer, but were already unable to register all of their players, they now find themselves over 200 million Euros above what their payroll should be for next season. Finding the money to pay off the outstanding balance will be no easy task though as they must pay that down just to get to their max payroll and will still have to sell players after that to be able to buy once again. All of their transactions are also going to be under a microscope after La Liga launched a corruption investigation on Barcelona’s finances this past year. Furthermore, Messi is at the backend of his career and as much as he still wants to play competitively in Champions League, he is also more focused on enjoying the game with his friends which is why he put in a request to Barcelona to sign his World Cup teammates, both Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes, which complicates things even more as Bracelona will barely have the money to sign Messi let alone 2 of his friends. Another issue that Messi is dealing with is the fact that he may get no say at all in where he goes as his father is his agent and his father is a man that is very driven by money. Al Hilal Riyadh has made such a lucrative offer that the financially unstable Barcelona will never be able to match and that might just be enough to tip his father in the direction of the Saudi Pro League.This also makes more sense as Al Hilal Riyadh has a lot more money to spend and would have no issues signing both Messi and di Maria, as well as also signing Messi’s good friend and former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets who is set to leave Barcelona this summer.  What It Means For The SportLet’s get something straight here, Messi will not be going to the Saudi Pro League to play with Ronaldo, he will be going to play against Ronaldo and revive their old La Liga rivalry there. For the Saudi Pro League, this could be a very exciting time for viewers as bigger stars come to the league and try to grow the league even more.As for the rest of the world, the change does not really have a massive impact on the big clubs in Europe. Both Messi and Ronaldo have had such great careers and as good as both players still are, neither player is going to have the massive impact on a team that they would have had a few years ago. Seeing the departure of Messi and Ronaldo from Europe could also be a positive as it sets the stage for younger stars to make their way through such as Mbappe, Haaland, and Rashford just to name a few.In conclusion, a move to the Saudi Pro League can only be good for the world of football and it is the move that by far makes the most sense for Messi so expect to see Lionel Messi in an Al Hilal Riyadh kit come this fall.

Vegas Writer's Daily Recap - May 27, 2023

Limited action to recap for Friday, as there was baseball and WNBA.In the WNBA, the Washington Mystics barely snuck by the Chicago Sky, as the two battled to the end. The Mystics, who laid -5 1/2, won by just two points, 71-69. The final tally fell well below the posted 157.The Dallas Wings, meanwhile, had their hands full in Seattle, as the Storm kept things tight before falling 95-91. The Wings failed to cover the 4 1/2 points, and the final score soared past the 161 total.Two games on today's card, but I'm taking a pass.Six of the 13 underdogs won Friday on the MLB diamond, while there were a couple of pick'em games. The most notable underdog victory had to be the Pittsburgh Pirates (+140 DraftKings) in their 11-6 win over the Seattle Mariners. The Bucs registered their second double-digit output in seven games, and have quietly split their last eight games behind an offense that is hitting .286 and scoring an average of nearly six runs per game since May 17. They've also stroked 10 home runs in that span.A full slate of baseball and I have a top total from baseball. I'm still on an 89-77-4 run for $7,390 net profit since April 17. I'm also on a 23-19 run with ALL SPORTS TOTALS. Tonight I have my American League Total of the Month, the absolute best play I see on today's card.No NBA or NHL last night, but certainly are a pair of teams that are looking to get to the championship round next.The Miami Heat host the Boston Celtics tonight in Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals.I have Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, where I have NBA Side Winner # 30 of 47. Despite yesterday's showing, I'm still on an 89-77-4 run for $7,390 net profit since April 17, including a 43-26-2 NBA roll for $14,350 net profit. Let's cash in with NBA SIDE WINNER # 30 OF 47.And the Vegas Golden Knights host the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final.NHL Notes: Road teams are 44-37 in the postseason. Underdogs are 38-41 in the postseason, with a $100 wager on the pups turning a profit of roughly $1200. The Over is 41-39-1, but the Under has cashed 30 of the last 51 games. There have been 23 overtime games, and road teams are 15-8 in those games. NHL favorites higher than -150 are 14-33 on the puck line this postseason.

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