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Who Will be the Worst NFL Team in 2021? One Team Might Surprise You!

by ASA, Inc.

Sunday, Jul 04, 2021

It is always hard to win in the NFL but some teams are already doomed going into the 2021 season. Sitting at the bottom of the NFL win total odds are the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. Detroit’s win total is set at 5 games while Houston’s is at 4.5 games. Both of these teams are in obvious rebuild mode with new head coaches along with horrid quarterback issues.  The Lions were at least able to bring in some help during the draft and seem to be heading in the right direction. Penei Sewell fell to them in the draft and they followed him by going DT in the second round and DT, CB in the third. Suring up the trenches is never a bad option when rebuilding with a defensive minded head coach in Dan Campbell. They do play the 6th toughest schedule which is a big reason why they could still finish dead last in the NFL.  Meanwhile Bill O’Brien should still be locked up for what he did to the Texans future. After a 4-12 year in 2020, Houston did not have a first or second round pick in this year’s draft. Desean Watson looks to be out for the foreseeable future, and even if he did get cleared to play the roster looks like something Shane Falco couldn’t even win with. The only saving grace is that MAYBE they can get a win against the Jaguars who they play twice, or the Jets in week 12. However, the NFL is a crazy league and there is a reason even bad teams suit up week in and week out. The Eagles, Jets, Bengals, and Jaguars will all struggle in 2021 and could contend for the league’s worst record.  However, Philadelphia does have the easiest strength of schedule in the whole league while the others at least all have promising young quarterbacks to turn to.  So who is the surprise team that might fall toward the bottom of the league in 2021?  We feel that team could be the Las Vegas Raiders. That may catch some off guard with Vegas coming off an 8-8 record.  However, they ranked 30th in points allowed last season and despite their .500 record Las Vegas was just 11th in the AFC in point differential.  The defensive struggles didn’t end there as they allowed 6.0 YPP and their opponents converted on nearly 49% of their 3rd down attempts which ranked them 30th in the NFL.  They appear to be running in place under Jon Gruden who has not produced a winning record during his 3 years in Vegas. In a difficult division it is not hard to see the wheels falling off all together. With only 1 winning record since 2002 the Raiders don’t be surprised if they sit near or at the bottom of the league when all is said and done.

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Suns and Bucks - NBA Finals Preview

by Will Rogers

Sunday, Jul 04, 2021

It was as incomplete an NBA season as the Association has experienced in more than two decades, or since the owners locked out the players in 1998, shortened the season to 50 games and flat-out canceled the All-Star Game.Yet here we are, finally, with Phoenix and Milwaukee the last two teams standing and ready to begin play and vie for the honor of being the league Covid champion. With so many teams, including the favored and defending champion Lakers, forced to look on helplessly from the sidelines at least partially due to injuries to key players, the spotlight now shines on the Suns and Bucks.Phoenix has opened as a slight -170 betting favorite, due in no small part to the fact that all three of the Suns’ key players – Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton – are running up and down the court and not watching the game on a TV in the trainer’s room. Milwaukee’s all-everything Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t missed that much in the Bucks’ Eastern Conference finals win over the Hawks, but that will change in a hurry when the Finals begin on Tuesday. If Antetokounmpo is anywhere near close to returning, the Bucks (+150 to win the title) aren’t saying. So we all assume that he’s out until he’s not.Phoenix heads into Tuesday night’s opener at home with several distinct advantages:THE SUNS ARE HEALTHY – The starting five of Booker, Paul, Ayton, Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges – is dealing with the usual minor aches and pains, but it will be in tact at least at the start of the series. This could force Milwaukee’s remaining go-to players – Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday – to play extended minutes against a Phoenix team that loves to push the pace. The Bucks will have to figure out a way to not fall off the edge of the Earth when they go to their bench.THE SUNS ARE RESTED – Finishing off the Clippers on June 30 in the Western Conference finals has given the Suns a full week of rest before the opening game (at home, no less), while the Bucks will have just two days off (plus a long plane ride) to get ready. Paul, Ayton and Booker played a combined 117 minutes in the WC Game 6 clincher, and their legs needed some time off.THE SUNS HAVE CHRIS PAUL – Paul’s playoff failings are well-documented, but this is a chance for the 35-year-old veteran to put them all in the rearview mirror and finally get the chip needed to fill out his post-career bio. Paul put the hammer down on LA in the final game of that series, putting together one of the finest games in his career – 41 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and – amazingly – zero turnovers.THE SUNS HAVE MOMENTUM – Seems like just yesterday that the Suns piggy-backed their way into the Bubble only because the NBA wanted to showcase Zion Williamson, then won eight straight games. That should have been a clue that things were different in the desert after a long playoff drought. And when Paul got traded to the Suns by Oklahoma City in the off-season, it provided yet another jolt of energy to the franchise. Phoenix surprised everyone, going 51-21 in the regular season and 42-28-2 ATS (second-best, only to the Knicks).THE SUNS HAVE AYTON – And Ayton is developing into one of the top bigs in the league. Through the first three rounds of the playoffs the Bucks have been able to utilize Brook Lopez’s size to their advantage against smaller centers. That dynamic has been flipped on its head, and now it’s Lopez who will have his hands full against the powerful Ayton.Antetokounmpo or no Antetokounmpo, the Suns appear to have the edge as one of the more interesting NBA Finals in a long time gets under way. Phoenix is a 5.5-point favorite in Game 1. The money line is Phoenix -220, Bucks +190, and the O/U is 217.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and WNBA Previews and Odds - 07/04/2021

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Jul 04, 2021

The Sunday sports card features games in MLB and the WNBA.Sixteen games are on the MLB docket. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at Washington at 11:05 AM ET. Joe Ross pitches for the Nationals, and the Dodgers have yet to confirm their starting pitcher. Milwaukee visits Pittsburgh at 1:05 PM ET as a -177 money line road favorite with the total set at 7 (all odds from DraftKings). San Diego travels to Philadelphia on TBS at 1:05 PM ET as a -130 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Blake Snell pitches for the Padres against the Phillies’ Vince Velasquez. Toronto hosts Tampa Bay at 1:07 PM ET as a -150 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Blue Jays send out Robbie Ray to pitch against the Rays’ Ryan Yarbrough. The Chicago White Sox plays at Detroit at 1:10 PM ET as a -182 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Lucas Giolito pitches for the White Sox against Matt Manning of the Tigers. Houston is at Cleveland as a -175 money line road favorite with a total of 9. Zack Greinke pitches for the Astros against the Indians’ Cal Quantrill. Cincinnati is at home against the Chicago Cubs as a -120 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Reds pitch Wade Miley against the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks. Atlanta plays at home against Miami at 1:20 PM ET as a -190 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Charlie Morton pitches for the Braves against the Marlins’ Zach Thompson. The New York Mets play at the New York Yankees at 2:05 PM ET in the first game of their seven-inning doubleheader. Marcus Stroman of the Mets pitches against Gerrit Cole of the Yankees. Minnesota visits Kansas City at 2:10 PM ET as a -134 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Twins pitch Kenta Maeda against the Royals’ Brad Keller. Colorado host St. Louis at 3:10 PM ET as a -159 money line favorite with a total of 11.5. The Rockies send out German Marquez against the Cardinals’ Carlos Martinez. The Los Angeles Angels play at home against Baltimore at 4:07 PM ET as a -220 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Patrick Sandoval pitches for the Angels against Thomas Eshelman of the Orioles. Oakland is at home against Boston as a -112 money line favorite with a total of 9. James Kaprielian pitches for the A’s against the Red Sox’s Nick Pivetta. Seattle hosts Texas at 4:10 PM ET as a -148 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Mariners send out Chris Flexen to pitch against Mike Foltynewicz. The New York Mets play at the New York Yankees on ESPN at 7:08 PM ET in the second game of their seven-inning doubleheader. Tylor Megill pitches for the Mets against Nestor Cortes, Jr. of the Yankees. San Francisco visits Arizona at 9:10 PM ET as a -165 money line road favorite with a total of 9.Two games are on the WNBA slate. Atlanta plays at Las Vegas at 6 PM ET. Seattle visits Los Angeles at 9 PM ET.

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Moneyline Option in ATS Sports

by Scott Rickenbach

Saturday, Jul 03, 2021

MONEYLINE OPTION IN ATS SPORTSWhen one thinks of moneyline sports betting the first sports that come to mind tend to be baseball or hockey or soccer (which also offers a 3-way moneyline because of the prevalence of draws). However, consideration of the moneyline in ATS sports in sports like Basketball and Football is certainly not out of the question and, in fact, sometimes can offer substantial value.That final word, value, is really the key to everything in the way to approach sports betting. You want to make sure the value is there at the price you are laying based on the specific wager. This has come to the forefront of my mind during the 2021 NBA Playoffs because of the way certain trending has played out and that is why I am writing about it here as basketball winds down and football is right around the corner. Could we see some value in utilizing the moneyline this coming football season?Just using basketball as an example, yes it pays to pay attention to certain trends and utilizing that in your sports betting. These things do tend to be trendy so it is good to watch for patterns. Let us take a look at the patterns of the teams that were the final four teams standing in the quest for the NBA crown in 2021: Clippers, Suns, Bucks, Hawks.These are just examples and certainly not meant to be encompassing but I am just taking a window of time and showing you how strong these trends can be at times. From May 24th to July 1st the Bucks had just 1 game out of 15 that saw the SU winner not also be the ATS winner. From May 26th to July 1st the Hawks 16 games all featured the SU winner also being the ATS winner. From May 23rd until the end of the series on June 30th, the Suns saw only 1 of 16 games finish with an ATS winner that was not also the SU winner. From May 22nd until the end of the series on June 30th, the Clippers had just 1 game out of 19 in which the SU winner was not also the ATS winner.All of that above information – when it is trending like that – how do we just it to our advantage? That is the point of this article. If a team was -3 ATS and the moneyline was -140 you may be enticed to minimize risk of laying the 3 points and instead lay the -140 price on the moneyline. Or the other side of the equation is you might want the value of having the +7 on a team rather than the long odds of playing a +280 dog on the moneyline. This is normal to view these situations in this way but just consider the summary below.What all of the above is showing you is that if you just take the team you handicapped as “the play” for the game, at least in this post-season, it was trending strongly to avoid putting yourself in higher juice or lower payout situations. Like a team plus the points? May as well play them plus money on the moneyline! Like a team minus the points so considering the pricier moneyline? Do not do it…just lay the points! Of course, not all time frames will go like this but it happens and is worth watching for. Paying attention pays off as the saying goes and trends can be strong at times! Keep this in mind when taking a look at ATS sports and considering moneyline options.

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Euro 2020 Quarterfinals Preview and Odds - 07/03/2021

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jul 03, 2021

The knockout stage of the Euro 2020 concludes on Saturday, with the final two matches in the quarterfinals.Denmark plays the Czech Republic on ESPN at noon ET at Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan.The Danes advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-0 victory against Wales last Saturday. Kasper Dolberg scored in the 27th minute before following that up with the team’s second goal three minutes into the second half. Joakim Maehle added a third goal in the 88th minute before Martin Braithwaite added the final score in the fourth minute of extra time. Denmark qualified for the knockout stage by defeating Russia, 4-1, on Monday to secure three points in the group stage. The Red and Whites needed the victory against the Bears to advance after losing their first two matches in Group B play. The Danes opened their Euro 2020 campaign with a 1-0 loss to Finland in a game obscured by Christian Eriksen’s medical emergency. Denmark then lost to one of the tournament favorites, Belgium, by a 2-1 score, although they had the lead in that game and generated superior underlying numbers. The Red and Whites have scored nine times and conceded four goals. Their underlying metrics placed them fourth in the tournament in expected goal differential after the group stage. They play on without their best player in Eriksen, but Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has stepped into his role as the primary facilitator in the midfield. The Czech Republic won their Round of 16 match in a 2-0 upset victory against the Netherlands last Sunday. After a scoreless first half, Thomas Holes scored the opening goal in the 68th minute. Patrik Schick added the second goal 12 minutes later to secure the win. The Locomotive opened this event with a 2-0 victory over Scotland. They followed that up with a 1-1 draw with Croatia. They completed their group stage play with a 1-0 loss to England on Tuesday.The National Side has scored five goals. Four of these goals have been scored by Schick, who plays domestically for Bayer Leverkusen. The Czechs have conceded only two goals in their four matches. BetOnline lists Denmark as a -0.25 goal line favorite with the total set at  2.England plays Ukraine on ABC at 3 PM ET at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The Three Lions reached the quarterfinals with their 2-0 victory against Germany on Tuesday. After a scoreless first half, Raheem Sterling broke the deadlock at the 75th-minute mark. Harry Kane added the second goal 11 minutes later. England won Group D with their 1-0 victory against the Czech Republic on June 22nd. Raheem Sterling’s goal in the 12th minute proved to be all the Three Lions needed to defeat a Czech team that they could meet in a rematch in the semifinals. England opened their tournament with a 1-0 win against Croatia. They then settled for a scoreless draw with Scotland. The Three Lions have only scored four times in the event, but they have still yet to concede a goal. Since a loss to Belgium on November 15, England has won all their matches except for the draw with the Scots earlier in this tournament. Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell are back with the team after being in COVID quarantine. Ukraine reached the quarterfinals with their 2-1 win against Sweden on Tuesday. The Yellow-Blue opened the scoring with Oleksandr Zinchenko’s goal 27 minutes into the match. The Swedes evened the score 16 minutes later. The game remained scoreless after that to force the 30-minute extra period. Artem Dovbyk scored one minute into extra time after 120 minutes to give the Ukrainians the win moments before the match would have gone to penalty kicks.The Yellow-Blue managed to advance as the final third place qualifier due to the three points they earned in their 2-1 victory against North Macedonia. Ukraine lost their opening match to the Netherlands, 3-2. They lost to Austria, 1-0, in their final group stage match.The Yellow-Blue has scored six times while conceding six goals. Gent’s Roman Yaremchuk and West Ham United’s Andriy Yarmolenko have both scored two goals. BetOnline lists England as a -1.25 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.25.The winners of these two matches will face off in the semifinals on ESPN on Wednesday at 3 PM ET. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, MLB, WNBA, Euro 2020 and Copa America Previews and Odds - 07/03/2021

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jul 03, 2021

The Saturday sports card features games in the NBA, MLB, WNBA, Euro 2020, and the Copa America.The NBA playoffs continue with Game 6 in the Eastern Conference semifinals on TNT. Milwaukee took a 3-2 lead in the series with a 123-112 home victory against the Hawks as a 7-point favorite on Wednesday. The Bucks have won six of their last eight games. Atlanta has lost three of the four games in this series. Giannis Antetokoumpo is doubtful to play with his knee injury. Trae Young is questionable with his knee injury and is likely a game-time decision. The Hawks are a 2.5-point home favorite, with the total set at 216 (all odds from BetOnline).Fifteen games are on the MLB docket. The New York Yankees host the New York Mets at 1:05 PM ET as a -181 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Jordan Montgomery pitches for the Yankees against Taijuan Walker of the Mets. Toronto plays at home against Tampa Bay at 3:07 PM ET as a -113 money line favorite with an over/under of 10. The Blue Jays send out Ross Stripling against Shane McClanahan of the Rays. Milwaukee visits Pittsburgh at 4:05 PM ET as a -153 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. Eric Lauer pitches for the Brewers against Cody Ponce of the Pirates. San Diego plays at Philadelphia on FS1 as a -155 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Yu Darvish pitches for the Padres against the Phillies’ Zach Eflin. Cincinnati hosts the Chicago Cubs at 4:10 PM ET as a -128 money line favorite with a total of 9. The Reds send out Tyler Mahle to pitch against the Cubs’ Adbert Alzolay. The Chicago White Sox visit Detroit as a -128 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9. Dallas Keuchel pitches for the White Sox against the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal. Atlanta plays at home against Miami as a -141 money line favorite with a total of 9. Kyle Muller pitches for the Braves against the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara. Kansas City is at home against Minnesota with Danny Duffy on the hill. The Twins have yet to name a starting pitcher. Fox has three regional games for its national broadcast at 7:15 PM ET. Houston visits Cleveland at 7:15 PM ET as a -168 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Jake Odorizzi pitches for the Astros against Eli Morgan of the Indians. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at Washington as a -195 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw pitches against Paolo Espino of the Nationals. Oakland is at home against Boston as a -128 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Cole Irvin of the A’s pitches against Garrett Richards of the Red Sox. St. Louis travels to Colorado at 9:10 PM ET as a -107 money line road favorite with a total of 12. The Cardinals pitch Wade LeBlanc against the Rockies’ Kyle Freeland. Baltimore plays at Los Angeles against the Angels at 10:07 PM ET. Jorge Lopez pitches for the Orioles against Alex Cobb of the Angels. San Francisco visits Arizona at 10:10 PM ET. The Giants pitch Sam Long against the Diamondbacks’ Jake Faria. Seattle is at home against Texas as a -140 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Marco Gonzales pitches for the Mariners against Jordan Lyles of the Rangers. Three games are on the WNBA slate. Washington plays at New York on the CBS Sports Network at 1 PM ET. Connecticut travels to Indiana as a 15-point road favorite with a total of 155. Phoenix is at home against Minnesota at 10 PM ET as a 2-point favorite with an over/under of 164. The knockout stage of the Euro 2020 concludes on Saturday, with the final two matches in the quarterfinals. Denmark plays the Czech Republic on ESPN at noon ET at Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan. Denmark is a -0.25 goal line favorite with the total set at 2.England plays Ukraine on ABC at 3 PM ET at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The Three Lions are a -1.25 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.25.The Copa America quarterfinals conclude with two matches on Saturday. Uruguay plays Colombia on FS2 at 6 PM ET at Estadio Nacional de Brasilia in Brasilia, Brazil. The Uruguayans are a -0.25 goal line favorite with a total of 2. Argentina goes against Ecuador on FS1 at 9 PM ET at the Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico in Goiania, Brazil. The Argentinians are a -1 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.5.

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Euro 2020 Quarterfinals Preview - 07/02/2021

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Jul 02, 2021

Friday Euro 2020: Quarterfinals PreviewThe knockout stage of the Euro 2020 continues on Friday, with the first two matches in the quarterfinals.Spain plays Switzerland on ESPN at noon ET at Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg, Russia.La Furia Roja outlasted Croatia, 5-3, in a wild Round of 16 match on Monday. Spain gave the Chequered Ones the lead 20 minutes into the game on an own goal. The Red Fury responded by scoring three straight goals, with Manchester City’s Ferran Torres giving them a 3-1 lead in the 76th minute in the second half. But Croatia scored twice with five minutes left in regulation time and two minutes into extended time to force the extra 30 minutes of action. Spain scored twice in the first fifteen-minute period to secure the victory.Spain opened their tournament with a 0-0 draw against Sweden in the group stage. They then settled for a 1-1 draw with Poland. La Furia Roja needed a result in their final group stage match, and they responded with a resounding 5-0 win against Slovakia to finish in second place in Group E with five points. Two of those scores came from own-goals from the Slovakians.The Red Fury has scored 11 times in this event while conceding just four times. They have scored ten goals in their last two matches. The three-time Euro champions have lost in the Round of 16 in their two most recent major international tournaments in the 2018 World Cup and the 2016 Euro. Switzerland pulled off the upset of the tournament by defeating France, 5-4, in penalty kicks to resolve their 3-3 score after extra time in their Round of 16 match on Monday. National Swiss scored first from Haris Seferovic’s goal 15 minutes into the contest. Trailing 3-1 after Les Bleus scored in the 75th minute, the Swiss scored two goals in the final nine minutes of regulation to force the extra period against the reigning 2018 World Cup champions. Both teams kept scoring in the penalty kick shootout before Paris-Saint Germa’s Kylian Mbappe missed his shot to hand Switzerland the victory and the right to advance to the quarterfinals. The Swiss National Team opened with a 1-1 draw against Wales. They then lost to Italy, 3-0. Switzerland needed the three points from a victory against Turkey last Sunday, and La Nati responded with a 3-1 win. They finished in third place in Group A but earned one of the four third-place qualifying spots. National Swiss has scored seven times while giving up eight goals. Seferovic’s brace against the French gave him three goals in his last two matches. Switzerland lost in the Round of 16 in the 2016 Euro. They made the semifinals in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019.BetOnline lists Spain as a -0.75 goal line favorite with the total set at 2.5.Italy plays Belgium on ESPN at 3 PM ET at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. Italy advanced to the quarterfinals with their 2-1 victory against Austria last Saturday. The match was scoreless after regulation time before the Azzurri scored twice in the first 15 minutes of the extra period. The Austrians pulled within one goal at the 114th mark but could not force a penalty kick shootout with a second goal. Austria’s score did end Italy’s 11-game streak of clean sheets that had lasted over 1000 minutes in international play. The Italians have been one of the most impressive teams in the tournament by winning all three of their matches in the group stage. They opened this event with a 2-0 victory against Turkey. The Azzurri followed that up with a 3-0 victory against Switzerland. Manager Roberto Mancini’s side concluded the group stage with a 1-0 win against Wales last Sunday using many of his bench players in the match. Italy has scored nine times in their four games.Belgium eked by Portugal, 1-0, to advance to the quarterfinals on Sunday. Thorgan Hazard scored in the 42nd minute of the first half in the only goal in the match. Injuries played a role in the second half, with Kevin De Bruyne leaving the pitch early in the second half before Eden Hazard exited the game late in the second half with a hamstring injury. Both players are doubts against Italy. The Red Devils are the number one ranked team by FIFA and the second-ranked team in the ELO ratings. They won all three of their group stage matches. Manager Roberto Martinez’s group opened with a 3-0 victory against Russia before beating Denmark, 2-1. They defeated Finland, 2-0, in their final group stage match. Belgium has scored seven times in this event while allowing just one goal. Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku leads the team with three goals. BetOnline lists Italy as a -0.25 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2. The winners of these two matches advance to play in the semifinals on ESPN on Tuesday at 3 PM ET.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, NHL, WNBA, Copa America and Euro 2020 Previews and Odds - 07/02/2021

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Jul 02, 2021

The Friday sports card features games in the NHL, MLB, WNBA, Euro 2020, and the Copa America.The NHL playoffs continue with Game 3 in the Stanley Cup finals on NBC. Tampa Bay took a 2-0 lead in this series with their 3-1 home victory against Montreal on Wednesday. The Lightning have won three in a row and six of their last eight games. The Canadiens have lost three of five. Tampa Bay is a -131 money line road favorite with the total set at 5 (all odds from BetOnline). Fifteen games are on the MLB docket. Philadelphia hosts San Diego at 6:05 PM ET as a -120 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Phillies send out Zack Wheeler to pitch against the Padres’ Chris Paddack. Milwaukee visits Pittsburgh at 7:05 PM ET as a -124 money line road favorite with a total of 8. Adrian Houser pitches for the Brewers against the Pirates’ J.T. Brubaker. Washington plays at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers as a -110 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Nationals’ Max Scherzer pitches against the Dodgers’ Julio Urias. The New York Yankees are at home against the New York Mets as a -134 money line favorite with a total of 9. Jordan Montgomery pitches for the Yankees against Taijuan Walker of the Mets. Toronto is at home against Tampa Bay at 7:07 PM ET. Alek Manoah goes for the Blue Jays against the Rays’ Luis Pitino, who got called up from Triple-A to pitch in this game. Houston travels to Cleveland at 7:10 PM ET as a -171 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Astros pitch Lance McCullers against Sam Hentges of the Indians. Cincinnati hosts the Chicago Cubs as a -159 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. Sonny Gray pitches for the Reds against the Cubs’ Alec Mills. The Chicago White Sox play at Detroit as a -147 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The White Sox send out Lance Lynn to pitch against Casey Mize. Miami visits Atlanta at 7:20 PM ET. Pablo Lopez pitches for the Marlins against Drew Smyly of the Braves. St. Louis plays at Colorado at 8:10 PM ET in a pick ‘em match up with both teams priced at -105 and the total at 12. The Cardinals pitch Johan Oviedo against the Rockies’ Chi Chi Gonzalez. Kansas City hosts Minnesota as a -115 money line favorite with an over/under of 10. Brad Singer pitches for the Royals against J.A. Happ of the Twins. The Los Angeles Angels host Baltimore at 9:38 PM ET as a -162 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Angels pitch Griffin Canning against the Orioles’ Keegan Akin. Boston travels to Oakland at 9:40 PM ET as a -106 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Eduardo Rodriguez pitches for the Red Sox against Frankie Montas of the A’s. San Francisco visits Arizona as a -145 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Giants pitch Alex Wood against Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks. Texas plays at Seattle at 10:10 PM ET as a -107 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. Kyle Gibson pitches for the Ranges against Logan Gilbert of the Mariners.Three games are on the WNBA slate. Chicago visits Dallas on the CBS Sports Network at 8 PM ET as a 3.5-point road favorite with a total of 165.5. Las Vegas plays at Los Angeles in the second game of the CBS Sports Network doubleheader at 10 PM ET as a 14-point road favorite with an over/under of 167. Seattle hosts Atlanta as a 14-point favorite with a total of 165.5. The knockout stage of the Euro 2020 continues on Friday, with the first two matches in the quarterfinals. Spain plays Switzerland on ESPN at noon ET at Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg, Russia. La Furia Roja is a -0.75 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.5.Italy plays Belgium on ESPN at 3 PM ET at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. The Azzurri are -0.25 goal line favorites with the total at 2. The quarterfinals of Copa America begin on Friday with two matches on FS1. Paraguay plays Peru at 5 PM ET at the Estadio Olympic Pedro Ludovico in Goiania, Brazil. This is a pick ‘em match with an over/under of 2.Brazil plays Chile at 8 PM ET at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Brazilians are a -1.25 goal line favorite with a total of 2.5.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, NBA, and WNBA Previews and Odds - 07/01/2021

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Jul 01, 2021

The Thursday sports card features games in the NBA, MLB, and WNBA.The NBA playoffs continue with Game 5 in the Eastern Conference finals on TNT. Atlanta evened this series at 2-2 with their 110-88 upset win at home against Milwaukee as a 5.5-point underdog on Tuesday. The Hawks had lost the previous two games in this series after winning Game 1. The Bucks are 2-point favorites, with the total set at 215 (all odds from BetOnline). Tip-off is at 8:35 PM ET.Thirteen games are on the MLB docket. The New York Yankees host the Los Angeles Angels at 1:05 PM ET as a -168 money line favorite with an over/under of 10. Jordan Montgomery pitches for the Yankees against the Angels’ Griffin Canning. Toronto plays at home against Seattle at 1:07 PM ET as a -185 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Blue Jays send out Hyun Jin Ryu against the Mariners’ Yusei Kikuchi. Boston is at home against Kansas City at 1:10 PM ET. Nathan Eovaldi pitches for the Red Sox, and the Royals have yet to name their starting pitcher. The Chicago White Sox are at home against Minnesota at 2:10 PM ET as a -138 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Oakland plays at home against Texas at 3:37 PM ET as a -172 money line favorite with a total of 8. The A’s Sean Manaea goes against Dane Dunning of the Rangers. Philadelphia hosts Miami at 6:05 PM ET as a -128 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Zach Eflin pitches for the Phillies against the Marlins’ Pablo Lopez. The Los Angeles Dodgers travel to Washington at 7:05 PM ET as a -133 money line road favorite with a total of 9.5. The Dodgers pitch Tony Gonsolin against the Nationals’ Patrick Corbin. Milwaukee visits Pittsburgh as a -240 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7. Corbin Burnes pitches for the Brewers against the Pirates’ Wil Crowe. Cincinnati is at home against San Diego at 7:10 PM ET as a -106 money line favorite with a total of 9. The Reds pitch Luis Castillo against Ryan Weathers of the Padres. Houston plays at Cleveland as a -178 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Framber Valdez pitches for the Astros against the Indians’ Jean Carlos Mejia. The New York Mets travel to Atlanta at 7:20 PM ET as a -161 money line road favorite with a total of 6.5. Jacob DeGrom pitches for the Mets against Ian Anderson of the Braves. St. Louis visits Colorado at 8:40 PM ET as a -127 money line road favorite with an over/under of 11.5. Adam Wainwright pitches for the Cardinals against Antonio Senzatela of the Rockies. San Francisco plays at Arizona on ESPN at 9:40 PM ET. Johnny Cueto pitches for the Giants against Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks. San Francisco is a -142 money line road favorite with a total of 9.One game is on the WNBA slate. Connecticut plays at Indiana at 7 PM ET.

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The Fundamental Flaw in Regular Season NHL Analytics When Applied to the Postseason.

by Hollywood Sports

Wednesday, Jun 30, 2021

The Colorado Avalanche were laptop darlings who put up the best five-on-five regular season analytics since that advanced data started being tracked closely in 2007-08. Despite being significant favorites to win the West Division Finals, they were upset by the Vegas Golden Knights in six games. Vegas was then upset in the Stanley Cup Semifinals against a Montreal Canadiens team that many mathematical projections considered the worst team in the playoffs. The Golden Knights were -5000 money line favorites to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The New York Islanders overperformed relative to the projections from the analytics’ models for the third straight season under head coach Barry Trotz by taking the Tampa Bay Lightning to seven games in their Stanley Cup Semifinals series. What gives? Are these outlier results? Or is there a fundamental flaw in the assumptions of the mathematical projections used to make predictions in the Stanley Cup playoffs? I think that is the case.Frankly, most of the methods I use to handicap the NHL in the regular season I throw out when handicapping in the playoffs. The goals and dynamic of the regular season seem too different than the competitive experience of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This is not just my observation from handicapping the NHL for 25 years — this is what NHL players and coaches say. The regular season is a grind with teams playing three or four times a week. Often the zeal from the players is on scoring goals and padding statistics since stats help with new contracts. Seeding for the playoffs is not nearly the priority that it is in other sports since home-ice advantage is less of a factor. The coaching edge in making the final shift change at home is important, but the roar of the crowd has less impact on the game, generally, because the game is so fast. Just getting into the playoffs healthy and rested is more important than seizing a higher seed. The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012 despite being seeded eighth in the Western Conference. None of the top seeds in the four divisions this year advanced to the Semifinals. Once the playoffs start, the zeal shifts from scoring goals to stopping goals. Players are much more willing to sacrifice their bodies to block shots. Star players take longer shifts. Benches are shortened. And the nature of a seven-game series completely changes the game-to-game dynamic. Players and coaches get deeper into their planning and preparation in stopping their opponents. Speed advantages begin to get neutralized. In the battle between offensive technique and defensive tactics, the defense tends to get the upper hand. The higher stakes of the playoffs create a new sense of urgency not felt in the regular season. Game management mistakes are more often game-changing plays. Finally, the referees are more likely to swallow their whistles and let the action continue. I have seen many NHL analytics experts complain loudly about the lack of penalties in this postseason. They might as well complain about the weather. It has been that way for decades. Every team that has made the playoffs in the last 50 years has sob stories. Keep crying (and losing), or adapt. There is a long list of NHL teams that were dynamic offensive teams in the regular season who then folded in the postseason. Tampa Bay had this problem before adjusting their style of play and making some subtle changes to their roster after getting swept in the first round of the 2019 playoffs to a defensive-minded Columbus team. That Lightning team also needed to learn to be better game-managers. Colorado made some critical mistakes in their series with Vegas. Rather than making the high-risk pass in the third period that often netted an additional goal, the Avalanche need to learn to not risk the costly turnover that might give their opponents a breakaway advantage. Scoring more is not as valuable as not risking getting exposed. When Tampa Bay finally learned that lesson, they won the Stanley Cup last year — and they appear to be on the verge of repeating as champions.The analytics folks are in a pickle as to how to adapt. Their modus operandi depends on the predictability of their data. It is difficult for them to concede the limitations of their regular season numbers, even if that happens to be the case. By the time the sample sizes become actionable in the postseason, the playoffs are almost over. Handicappers (like me) that also incorporate qualitative analysis can still find success (never more effective than in the 2017 playoffs where we ended on a 20-3 sides run with Pittsburgh’s repeat as Stanley Cup champions). Teams with veteran players with playoff experience that play defensive-first physical hockey with counter-attacking offensive tactics and elite goal-tending fit a profile that tends to perform better in the playoffs. That description seems to apply to the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders this postseason. Perhaps the NHL analytics community would find fertile ground in identifying team profiles that have success in the playoffs — and then make appropriate comparisons to new playoff teams. This was the interesting approach that Jordan Brenner and Peter Keating endeavored in their seminal 2015 article on Giant Killers in ESPN The Magazine that profiled the different templates of teams that tend to pull upsets in college basketball’s March Madness.Best of luck — Frank.

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Starting Pitcher Observations from June

by Team Del Genio

Wednesday, Jun 30, 2021

Starting Pitcher Observations from JuneWe started with caution to the new Major League Baseball season amidst plenty of uncertainty in handicapping starting pitching. Most starting pitchers only had up to 12 or 13 regular season starts last year in the shortened season that starting late because of COVID. That presented a smaller sample size from which to project early season performance this year. The absence of fans continued to introduce an unusual dynamic that may have affected MLB pitchers differently. Major League Baseball threw another knuckleball into the mix with the changes they made to the baseball. As we observed last month in our article, “It’s the Year of the Pitcher. Does that Mean to Play More Unders?”: “The ball is slightly lighter after new production standards. The new ball is easier to throw but does not travel as far off the bat given the lighter mass.”MLB has since added a new wrinkle into the mix with their crackdown on foreign substances pitches uses to get a better grip on the baseball to improve spin rate. Yet amidst all these new factors to consider, some actionable data began to accumulate around the 1/3rd mark into the season. Here are some of the observations about starting pitchers that has helped our 23-3 MLB money line sides run through the end of the month.Shohei Ohtani may the story of the league with Most Valuable Year campaign with his spectacular contributions with his bat and his pitching arm, yet there are some cracks in the armor in his pitching profile. For our MLB Game of the Month report on the Yankees for Wednesday, June 30th, we made these comments on Ohtani:“Ohtani has been a surprise as to just how good he has been on the mound. The right-hander has a 3-1 record with a 2.58 era and a 1.18 whip in 11 starts. Yet it might be premature to begin pricing him as an elite starting pitcher. Command remains a challenge for Ohtani who is walking 12.5% of the batters he faces. In his last two starts on the road, he has walked six batters in 11 innings for a 4.9 bases-on-balls per nine innings average. In four starts on the road, Ohtani has a 3.91 era. Seven of his eleven starts have been at home, so this looks to be a good opportunity to fade him in this high-profile matchup where the pressure will be high.”The prospect of Ohtani pitching in fabled Yankee Stadium, not the literal “House that Ruth Built” but nearby to the baseball legend that Ohtani gets most compared to because he stars as both a hitter and a pitcher, may have put too much pressure on the young superstar. He walked the first three batters he faced in the first inning before allowing seven earned runs on four walks and two hits when he got pulled with two outs in the inning. Ohtani’s command remains the weakness in his pitching profile, and he may not be as effective when pitching away from Angels Stadium. Unfortunately, the Yankees’ bullpen let us down in that game by giving up seven runs in the top of the ninth inning to blow an 8-4 lead and lose the game. If he handicap the starting pitcher matchup accurately, we will win more than we lose even with the occasional back door loss from a bullpen blowup.Kenta Maeda had one of the most disappointing starts to the season before showing signs that he might have righted the ship this month. We were not sold, particularly with him pitching on the road against the White Sox on Tuesday, June 29th. In our report for our AL Central Game of the Month, we noted:“After a disastrous start to the season, he finally went on the disabled list last month to rest his right shoulder. He has been a shadow of the pitcher that went 6-1 last season with a 2.70 era and a 0.75 whip. His strikeouts are way down. After striking out 32.3% of the batters he faced last season, he is punching out 21.7% of batters this year. He is walking 6.5% of the batters he faces, up from 4.0% last season. His ground ball rate is down from 49.0% last year to 41.9% this year. Opposing hitters are connecting on more line drives which are up from 20.4% to 24.4% of the batted balls he is allowing into play. Maeda’s era is 5.40 in his 8 starts on the road, and his teams have won just three of their last sixteen games on the road when the oddsmakers install the over/under from 7 to 8.5.”Maeda did get out of the fifth inning in that game, giving up seven runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked five batters representing 18.5% of the batters he faced. He only struck out four batters, just 14.8% of the White Sox hitters he pitched against in a clip even lower than his declining strikeout average this season. Maeda will likely continue to be a starting pitcher we will target to play against in side and over plays. The news is not all bad, as we saw encouraging things from Adam Wainwright. We made these comments in our NL Central Game of the Month on the Cardinals versus the Pirates on Saturday, June 26th:  “They (Pittsburgh) face Adam Wainwright who has pitched better at home for most of his long career. The veteran right-hander is 5-5 with a 3.74 era and a 1.12 whip in 14 starts. When pitching at home, Wainwright has a 2.66 era and a 0.95 whip in nine starts. The 39-year-old started strong in April with a bump up in velocity. Yet his velocity dropped in May as he struggled in some starts. Wainwright has turned it around this month by not allowing more than three runs in any of his four starts while pitching at least six innings in each outing. He has a 2.67 era and an 0.89 whip in June.”Wainwright’s strong month continued as he allowed only one run in six innings work to register a 3-1 victory against the Pirates. He struck out eight batters and walked only one to continue his consistency when pitching at home at Busch Stadium. We will continue to look for opportunities where the veteran is undervalued, especially when pitching at home. Good luck - TDG.

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What Happened to the Vegas Golden Knights?

by Team Del Genio

Wednesday, Jun 30, 2021

After the Vegas Golden Knights upset the Colorado Avalanche in the West Division finals, it looked like the franchise was well on their way to make their second appearance in the Stanley Cup finals in the four years of their existence. Yet despite an easy 4-1 victory in Game 1 of the NHL semifinals against Montreal, they were exposed by the Canadiens in the next five games despite being a 5-1 favorite to win that series before it started. With three straight disappointments in the postseason after their inaugural season run to the finals, the Golden Knights are suddenly a franchise at the crossroads. What happened?Management took a big chance in trading with the very same Montreal Canadiens for Max Pacioretty before their second season. At the time, the move was designed to bring superstar talent into the organization that they could not acquire in the expansion draft. They later traded for Mark Stone at the trade deadline that gave them a top forward line of Pacioretty, Stone, and Paul Stastny, another offseason acquisition, that took the pressure off the William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith line that was such a surprise from the expansion draft. But a key piece in that trade with the Canadiens was Nick Suzuki who Vegas drafted as the 13th pick in the first round in their first draft. Suzuki outperformed Pacioretty in that series with five points, tied for the most for Montreal in that series. With hindsight being 20/20, the Golden Knights are weak down the middle. The injury to Chandler Stephenson exposed this deficiency even more. When Vegas drafted Cody Glass sixth in the 2017 draft before selecting Suzuki seven picks later, management had, in theory, laid the foundation for how their team would look at center for the next decade. Instead, Glass has failed to develop yet, he was not on the postseason roster, and Suzuki starred for the team that defeated them in the playoffs. At 21-years-old, Suzuki is 11 years younger than Pacioretty. Besides holes at center, depth was a concern for the team all season. They were only able to dress 15 skaters in their final home game of the year against Colorado which determined home ice in the playoffs and the President’s Trophy. Over $12 million were invested in their goaltending duo of Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury. Having two top-notch goaltenders is a luxury that teams probably cannot afford when operating under a salary cap. But the adage in the NFL regarding the problems of having two worthy starting quarterbacks on a roster may apply to goaltenders in the NHL. Rumors were that the team tried to unload Fleury before the start of the season after they signed Lehner to a five-year, $25 million contract. After Fleury saved the team during the regular season with Lehner dealing with a host of injuries, he won the Vezina Trophy for the first time in his Hall of Fame career. That cache will likely lead to the team being able to get a better deal from him in the offseason. If it was not clear that the team committed to Lehner when they signed in the fall to that $25 million deal, when head coach Peter DeBoer chose him to start in Game 6 of their series with the Canadiens, the writing was written on the wall for all to see. Next season likely becomes a make-or-break year for DeBoer. He was hired immediately after management made the surprising move to fire Gerard Gallant midway through the 2020-21 season. Having taken the New Jersey Devils and the San Jose Sharks to the Stanley Cup finals, DeBoer’s ability to made adjustments from game to game was considered a strength that Gallant lacked. Yet DeBoer was unable to push the buttons to get Stone, Pacioretty, and the other Knights’ forwards going against Carey Price and the Montreal defense. In the meantime, Gallant has been hired to be the head coach of the New York Rangers in the biggest market in the National Hockey League. With the windows beginning to close on the prime years of Stone, Pacioretty, and Alex Pietrangelo (the team’s major offseason acquisition last year) all 29-years-old or older, the urgency for the Vegas franchise to win their first Stanley Cup only intensifies. Expect many moves in the offseason. Good luck - TDG.

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