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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, MLB and NHL Previews and Odds - 05/15/2025

The Thursday sports card features NBA, NHL, and MLB action.The National Basketball Association continues its playoff season with one game on ESPN. The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to Denver to play the Nuggets in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinal series at 8:40 p.m. ET. The Thunder took a 3-2 series lead with a 112-105 victory at home against the Nuggets as a 10-point favorite on Tuesday. Oklahoma City is a 5-point road favorite with the total set at 216.5 (all odds from DraftKings).The National Hockey League playoffs continue with two games on TNT/truTV/Max on its slate. The Carolina Hurricanes play in Washington against the Capitals in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Hurricanes took a 3-1 series lead with a 5-2 victory at home against the Capitals on Tuesday. Carolina is a -175 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.The Winnipeg Jets host the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Stars took a 3-1 series lead with a 3-1 victory at home against the Jets on Tuesday. Winnipeg is a -118 money-line favorite with a total of 5.5. Major League Baseball has six games on its schedule. The Atlanta Braves host the Washington Nationals at 12:15 p.m. ET. The Nationals ended a seven-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory on the road against the Braves on Wednesday. Atlanta had won two games in a row before that loss. The Braves send out A.J. Smith-Shawver to pitch against the Nationals’ Trevor Williams. Atlanta is a -218 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Baltimore Orioles play at home against the Minnesota Twins at 12:35 p.m. ET. The Twins continued their 11-game winning streak with an 8-6 victory on the road against the Orioles yesterday. Baltimore has lost three games in a row. Tomoyuki Sugano takes the ball for the Orioles to face Chris Paddack for Minnesota. Baltimore is a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.The Cincinnati Reds are home against the Chicago White Sox at 12:40 p.m. ET. The White Sox have won four games in a row after a 4-2 victory on the road against the Reds on Wednesday. Cincinnati has lost four games in a row. The Reds tap Nick Martinez to battle against the White Sox’s Bryse Wilson. Cincinnati is a -218 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Tampa Bay Rays at 3:07 p.m. ET. The Blue Jays won for the sixth time in their last seven games with a 3-1 victory at home against the Rays yesterday. Tampa Bay has lost three of their last four games. Kevin Gausman takes the mound for Toronto to challenge Zack Littell for the Rays. The Blue Jays are a -166 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Texas Rangers play at home against the Houston Astros at 8:05 p.m. ET. The Rangers are on a six-game winning streak after an 8-3 victory against Colorado on Wednesday. The Astros won for the fourth time in their last five games with a 4-3 victory against Kansas City yesterday. Texas turns to Jacob deGrom to face Houston’s Hunter Brown. The Rangers are a -122 money-line favorite with a total of 7. The Los Angeles Dodgers are home against the Athletics at 10:10 p.m. ET. The Dodgers won for the second time in their last three games with a 9-3 victory in the second game of this series last night. The Athletics have lost five of their last seven games. Ben Casparius gets the ball for Los Angeles to take on Osvaldo Bido for the Athletics. The Dodgers are a -198 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. 

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, NHL and NBA Previews and Odds - 05/14/2025

The Wednesday sports card features NBA, NHL, and MLB action.The National Basketball Association continues its playoff season with two games on TNT/truTV/Max. The Boston Celtics host the New York Knicks in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series at 7:05 p.m. ET. The Celtics are a 4.5-point favorite with the total set at 207.5 (all odds from DraftKings). The Minnesota Timberwolves play at home against the Golden State Warriors in the fifth game of their Western Conference semifinal series at 9:35 p.m. ET. The Timberwolves are an 11.5-point favorite with an over/under of 203.5.The National Hockey League playoffs continue with two games on ESPN on its slate. The Florida Panthers travel to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Panthers are a -135 money-line road favorite with a total of 5.5. The Vegas Golden Knights are at home against the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth game of their Western Conference semifinal series at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Golden Knights are a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Major League Baseball has 17 games on its schedule. The Baltimore Orioles host the Minnesota Twins in the opening game of their doubleheader at 12:05 p.m. ET as a -118 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Philadelphia Phillies play at home against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of their doubleheader at 1:05 p.m. ET as a -175 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Cleveland Guardians are home against the Milwaukee Brewers at 1:10 p.m. ET as a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Twins are on the road against the Orioles in the second game of their doubleheader at 3:35 p.m. ET with both teams priced as a -110 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks play in San Francisco against the Giants at 3:45 p.m. ET as a -112 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The New York Yankees are in Seattle to take on the Mariners at 4:10 p.m. ET as a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Phillies host the Cardinals in the second game of their doubleheader at 6:15 p.m. ET as a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Detroit Tigers play at home against the Boston Red Sox at 6:40 p.m. ET as a -218 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7. The Toronto Blue Jays are home against the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:07 p.m. ET as a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The New York Mets host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:10 p.m. ET as a -265 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Cincinnati Reds play at home against the Chicago White Sox at 7:14 p.m. ET as a -225 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Atlanta Braves are home against the Washington Nationals at 7:15 p.m. ET as a -170 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Chicago Cubs host the Miami Marlins at 7:40 p.m. ET as a -225 money-line favorite. The Texas Rangers play at home against the Colorado Rockies at 8:05 p.m. ET as a -258 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Houston Astros are home against the Kansas City Royals at 8:10 p.m. ET as a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The San Diego Padres host the Los Angeles Angels at 9:40 p.m. ET as a -192 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the Athletics at 10:10 p.m. ET as a -270 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5.  

2025 Preakness Stakes Preview

As seems to be the pattern recently, there will be no Triple Crown winner this year because the Derby winner (Sovereignty) will be skipping the second jewel and pointing towards the Belmont Stakes in three weeks.  This latest defection has once again fueled the debate over whether the spacing of the three races (two weeks between Derby and Preakness, followed by three weeks after that for the Belmont) should be changed.  It's likely nothing will happen but it seems everyone has an opinion when the Derby winner sits this one out.    The other thing notable about this year's Preakness is that it's the 150th running and the last one which will be held at the current structure we call Pimlico.  The State of Maryland approved the demolition of the facility to make way for an entirely new structure, so in 2026 (and potentially 2027), the Preakness will be held at Laurel Race Track about 25 miles to the south.  All that being said, the race drew nine entrants and we will preview five of the major players, here. #2 Journalism (8-5 morning line) - The Mike McCarthy-trained son of Curlin will be a deserving favorite in the starting gate come Saturday.  He really did nothing wrong in besting 17 other horses while finishing 2nd to Sovereignty in the Derby.  The winner decided to skip this second leg of the Crown.  But McCarthy — who has as much success shipping horses from California as any trainer — deemed Journalism ready to go.  Regular rider Umberto Rispoli will be aboard and his odds will likely be no better than 7-5.  But Journalism could make that price look like easy money.   #1 Goal Oriented (6-1) - “New shooters”, as they’re often referred to, are horses who come into the Preakness not having run in the Derby.  And these types have a very good record in the second leg of the Triple Crown.  In fact, the last 5 winners have all been new shooters.  But Goal Oriented has one main problem and that problem is fair odds.  Trained by anyone other than Bob Baffert (who has a record 8 Preakness wins) this son of Not This Time would be at least 10-1 coming off of just a maiden win followed by a first allowance victory in the mud on the Derby undercard.  But because Baffert is his trainer (and Flavien Prat is his jockey), you’ll be lucky to get 5-1 and this is a much tougher test than anything he's tried previously.   #7 Sandman (4-1): As one of three Derby horses entered in the race (Journalism and American Promise being the other two) this Mark Casse-trained son of Tapit offers a better-priced alternative to the favorite.  But he ran a clunker in the run for the roses, finishing 7th, and has only had the two weeks to recover.   One has to wonder how much his entry here is due to the ownership group -- which includes popular partnership West Point Thoroughbreds and a major TikTok influencer -- forcing Casse’s hand.  There's enough early speed in the race to favor Sandman's late running style, but the jockey switch from Jose Ortiz to John Velazquez is not a good sign if you're rooting for this one.   #3 American Promise (15-1): "The Coach” D. Wayne Lukas is arguably the greatest thoroughbred trainer in history and he’s still going strong at age 89.  Just about everyone involved in the sport was thrilled when Lukas won last year’s Preakness with lightly-regarded Seize the Grey.  That win put Lukas one Preakness victory behind Baffert for the all-time record.  Can he reach the pinnacle with this son of (Triple Crown Winner) Justify?  Seize the Grey had a ton of early speed which was a perfect setup for him a year ago.  That’s not the case with American Promise and this year’s mountain would appear much harder to climb, especially given Lukas’ horse just ran two weeks ago in the Derby.  But bet against the Coach at your own risk.   #8 Clever Again (5-1): Another new shooter, but this one comes from the barn of the all-time leading trainer (in terms of wins) in North America.  Steven Asmussen might be something like 0-37 in the Derby, but he's won this race twice (2007 and 2009), and this year he has a son of Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah who has turned a lot of heads in his two victories.  Like Goal Oriented, he's very lightly raced.  But unlike Baffert's horse, after Clever Again broke his maiden, he won a stakes race at Oaklawn in his next start, and did it impressively.  Jockey Jose Ortiz chose this one over his Derby mount Sandman so that's saying something.Good luck, as always...Al McMordie

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