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Big Al's Daily Angle: NHL, MLB and UEFA Champions League Previews and Odds - 06/01/2024

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jun 01, 2024

The Saturday sports card features NHL, MLB, and UEFA Champions League action.The National Hockey League playoffs continue with Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Florida Panthers host the New York Rangers on ABC at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Panthers took a 3-2 lead in this series with their 3-2 victory on the road on Thursday. They have won seven of their last ten games. The Rangers have lost the last two games in this series. Florida is a -170 money-line favorite, with the total set at 5.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise).The Saturday card in Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Toronto Blue Jays play at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 3:07 p.m. ET. Yusei Kikuchi takes the ball for the Blue Jays to pitch against Mitch Keller for the Pirates. Toronto is a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Baltimore Orioles are at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 4:05 p.m. ET. The Orioles turn to Kyle Badish to battle against the Rays' Taz Badley. Baltimore is a -160 money-line favorite with a total of 8. Eight MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:10 p.m. ET. Atlanta hosts Oakland, with Chis Sale going to the mound for the Braves to pitch against Aaron Brooks for the A's. The Braves are a -305 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Texas travels to Miami with the Rangers tapping Michael Lorenzen to duel against the Marlins' Ryan Weathers. The Rangers are a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5. Detroit plays at Boston with Reese Olson taking the hill for the Tigers to face Cooper Criswell for the Red Sox. The Tigers are a -118 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Cleveland plays at home against Washington, with Ben Lively getting the ball for the Guardians to go against Mitchell Parker for the Nationals. The Guardians are a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. New York is home against Arizona, with the Mets turning to Sean Manaea to pitch against the Diamondbacks' Blake Walston. The Mets are a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. San Diego is in Kansas City, with Joe Musgrove getting tapped by the Padres to throw against Alec Marsh for the Royals. The Padres are a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. Houston hosts Minnesota, with the Astros sending out Frambere Valdez to duel against the Twins' Joe Ryan. The Astros are a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Milwaukee plays at home against Chicago, with Robert Gasser getting the ball for the Brewers to battle Garrett Crochet for the White Sox. The Brewers are a -162 money-line favorite with a total of 7. Three MLB games are on Fox's regional coverage at 7:15 p.m. ET. Philadelphia is at home against St. Louis, with the Phillies turning to Ranger Suarez to pitch against the Cardinals' Sonny Gray. The Phillies are a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Chicago hosts Cincinnati, with Justin Steele taking the mound for the Cubs to face Hunter Greene for the Reds. The Cubs are a -135 money-line favorite. Seattle plays at home against Los Angeles, with the Mariners sending out Bryce Miller to go against Reid Detmers for the Angels. The Mariners are a -170 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5.The San Francisco Giants are home against the New York Yankees at 10:05 p.m. ET. Logan Webb grabs the ball for the Giants to duel against Cody Poteet for the Yankees. San Francisco is a -122 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the Colorado Rockies at 10:10 p.m. ET. The Dodges tap Yoshinobu Yamamoto to pitch against the Rockies' Cal Quantrill. Los Angeles is a -340 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The championship match of the UEFA Champions League takes place on CBS at 3 PM ET at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Real Madrid challenges Borussia Dortmund as a -1 goal-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 3. 

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The Low-Scoring Trend in the Western Conference Finals Returned in Game 5

by Team Del Genio

Friday, May 31, 2024

The Edmonton Oilers evened the Western Conference finals at 2-2 with their 5-2 victory in Game 4 on Wednesday. After Games 2 and 3 in this series had seven and eight combined goals, we projected for scoring the fifth game of this series akin to the Oilers’ 3-1 victory in Game 1. The under was the Team’s NHL Total of the Month. The Oilers are getting better goaltending from Stuart Skinner who stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced in Game 4. Going into Game 5, he had not given up more than two goals in five of his last six starts in the postseason, and he has an improved .901 save percentage in those six games. Edmonton’s defense is doing a good job of limiting the scoring chances of the Stars. Going into Friday’s game, Dallas was averaging only 24.3 chances per game in this series, and only 9.3 of these chances per game are considered high-danger chances. The Oilers lead all teams in the playoffs by not allowing a goal in 93.2% of their opponent’s power play opportunities. The Stars had not scored in their nine power plays in this series. Edmonton had played eleven of their last fifteen games on the road under the number after winning their previous game by two or more goals. After playing Games 3 and 4 at home, they went back on the road for Game 5, and they had played 16 of their last 25 under the total after playing two games in a row at home. Dallas had played eleven of their last sixteen games under the number after losing their previous game by two or more goals. They had played five of their last seven games under the total after losing on the road by multiple goals. The Stars had played twenty-two of their last thirty-two games at home under the total after a loss by more than one goal. They had given up eight goals in the last two games, yet they had played five of their last seven games under the total after allowing three or more goals in two straight games. Goalie Jake Oettinger had still been playing well in this postseason. He has a .917 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average in seventeen playoff games. Dallas was rested after getting six days off after winning their series with Colorado on May 17th. They had played ten of their last twelve games at home under the number when playing for the fifth time or less in the last two weeks. In the Stars' previous four games in the playoffs this year, three of those games finished under the total. Dallas had thwarted all six of the Oilers’ power plays in this series, yet Edmonton finally broke that streak late in the first period in Game 5 when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored with the man advantage. He added a second power-play goal early in the second period to give the Oilers a 2-0 lead. They scored just after the first minute to extend their lead to 3-0 early in the second period, and that ended the scoring in the second twenty minutes. Wyatt Johnston got the Stars on the board just after fourteen minutes in the third period, yet Dallas could not beat Skinner a second time and took the 3-1 loss. The Stars had only 20 shot attempts on net which continues a disturbing trend for them. Since getting 32 shots on net in Game 1, they have seen their activity drop to 25 shots in Game 2, 22 shots in Games 3 and 4, before the 20 shots in Game 5. Skinner improved his save percentage to .908 in his seven starts in the playoffs. Oettinger let three shots beat him on the Oilers’ 26 attempts. The under may be tempting for some bettors, yet we are likely to consider other options in this potential close-out game with the Stars playing on the road on the base ice in Edmonton. Good luck - TDG.

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Minnesota's Chris Finch Did Not Have Enough Defensive Answers to Slow Down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving

by Team Del Genio

Friday, May 31, 2024

The Minnesota Timberwolves kept their season alive on Tuesday with a 105-100 upset victory as a 1.5-point underdog. While no NBA team has ever rallied from a 0-3 deficit to win an NBA playoff series, the Timberwolves could at least take some confidence of being breaking this 0-155 mark in NBA history from the positive shift in defensive tactics head coach Chris Finch made for Game 4. Finch continued to have Jaden McDaniels defend Luka Doncic for fewer minutes and instead defend Kyrie Irving. Anthony Edwards had become the primary defender on Doncic while Finch is giving fewer minutes off the bench to Naz Reid and instead turning to Kyle Anderson who has been capable of slowing down Doncic. The Mavericks had an offensive rating of 116 when McDaniels was defending Doncic. Yet when McDaniels is defending Irving, the Timberwolves were outscoring Dallas by +10 points in this series. McDaniels importance in defending Irving is even more pronounced by these on/off numbers. When Irving was on the court but McDaniels was off the court, the Mavericks were outscoring them by +31 points in this series. McDaniels guarded Doncic for nine minutes in Game 1. Those minutes dropped to 7:30 minutes in Game 2 and 6:30 minutes in Game 3. In their Game 4 win, McDaniels defended Doncic for just 3:30 minutes, and that number was likely to continue to drop in Game 5. Dallas posted a 105.4 offensive rating and an effective field goal percentage of 50.6% which were both series lows. They had an offensive rating of at least 114.9 in each of the first three games of this series. The injury to Dereck Lively II hurt the Mavericks' offensive attack too. Lively II is a good defensive player, yet his impact on the other end of the court has been huge in this series as he made all 13 of his shots in the first three games. He was questionable to play in Game 5 with what is being labeled a neck sprain rather than a concussion. Yet Minnesota’s adjustments were short-lived in Game 5. Dallas scored 35 points in the first quarter and added another 34 points in the second quarter. Their 69 first-half points gave them a 29-point lead, and they would cruise to a 124-103 victory and take the series in five games. The Timberwolves simply had no answers to slow down Doncic or Irving. Doncic scored 36 points and added 10 assists and 10 rebounds. He converted on 14 of his 22 shots from the field including 6 of his 10 shots from 3-point land. Irving contributed 36 points on 14 of 27 shooting, and he made 4 of his 10 shots from 3-point range. When your two superstars combine to score 72 points on 28 of 49 shooting for a 57.1% field goal percentage including a 10 of 20 (50%) clip from the 3-point line, it becomes very hard to win. The return of Lively II helped. He played 24:45 minutes and scored nine points. His being a threat on offense helped create space for Doncic and Irving. Overall, Dallas made 46 of their 84 shots from the field for a 55% shooting percentage, and the team hit 15 of their 34 shots from distance for a 44% shooting mark from 3. The Timberwolves did themselves no favors by missing 22 of their 32 shots from 3-point range. A 31.2% clip from 3-point land was not going to get it done against a team making over 50% of their shots. Yet wing defense appears to be a hole on this team that management needs to address in the offseason. Hinch did not have enough options to slow down two dynamic scoring guards like Doncic and Irving. Good luck - TDG.

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The Florida Panthers Flexed Their Muscles to WIn Game Five Against the Rangers

by Hollywood Sports

Friday, May 31, 2024

Going into Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals, Florida had outplayed the Rangers in this series despite it being deadlocked at 2-2. If not for overtime losses in Games Two and Three, the Panthers could be attempting to wrap this series up tonight — or it could already be over. The most dominant aspect of this series had been Florida’s forechecking which has allowed them to dominate puck possession and shot attempts. In Games Three and Four, the Panthers outshot New York by a 197-87 margin pure shot attempts — and by a 77-46 margin shots on target (that were not blocked by a player). Florida had generated 33 High Danger Chances in the last two games while the Rangers have only 14 High Danger Chances. Overall, the Panthers had produced 7.59 expected Goals (xG) in Games Three and Four — and they had held New York to only 3.88 xG in these two games. Florida’s play on defense has been outstanding throughout the postseason. Going into Thursday’s Game Four, they lead all teams in the postseason in expected Goals Allowed (xGA) — and they had given up the fewest High Danger Chances. They had also given up the fewest Power Play goals in the playoffs as well. What was encouraging for the Panthers going into Game Five was their Power Play. After going 0-3 in Game One, they had scored in five of their last 12 Power Plays against the Rangers. They rank second in the postseason in Power Play goals. They rank third in High Danger Chances generated and third in the postseason in Corsi-For Percentage. I expected Florida to put their foot on the accelerator in this crucial Game Five. The Panthers had won 40 of their last 61 games after winning their last game. They had also won 23 of their last 30 games after a win at home — and they had won 10 of their last 14 games after a victory at home by one goal. They had scored seven combined goals in their last two games — and they have won 34 of their last 50 games after scoring three or more goals in their last two games. Florida had also been very good when playing away from home. The Panthers had won 21 of their last 29 road games in the second half of the season — and they had won 13 of their last 19 games on the road in the playoffs in the last two years. New York’s underlying metrics in these playoffs are underwhelming. They went into Thursday’s game ranked 14th in Corsi-For Percentage, ninth in expected Goals Percentage, and last of the final four teams in expected Goals For Percentage. They are last of the final four teams in Power Play goals. They were not getting production from some key players — Mike Zibanejad and Chris Kreider have yet to register a point. Adam Fox may be trying to play through an injury — and he was shaky in Game Four. The Rangers had lost 12 of their last 19 games at home after a loss by one goal. They had also lost 8 of their last 11 games at home after losing in overtime in their last game. Furthermore, New York had lost 5 of their last 8 games when the playoff series was tied — and they had lost 4 of their last 5 fifth games in a playoff series.The Rangers have overcome getting outplayed at even strength with strong play from their special teams. They want into Game Five ranked third in the playoffs on the Power Play. Even better, they have scored five shorthanded goals in the postseason — and Kreider broke his pointless streak by scoring a shorty at the 2:04 mark of the second period. But the Panthers responded just over six minutes later when Gustav Forsling scored at the 8:21 minute mark of the period. Anton Lundell then gave Florida the lead midway through the third period with his goal. Sam Bennett added an empty netter at the 18:08 minute mark of the third period. Alexis Lafreniere cut the deficit in half for the Rangers with fifty seconds left — but the Panthers held on to take the game by a 3-2 score. When an NHL playoff series is tied at 2-2, the winner of Game Five goes on to win 78.8% of the time (231-62). Florida outshot New York by a 36-27 margin in Game Five as they continue to outplay the Rangers in most situations fueled by their dominant forecheck. With the books listing the Panthers as a money-line favorite in the -165 range, I will be passing on the side for a potential featured play since the price is higher than my -150 price threshold in the NHL (and MLB). And if New York pulls off the upset on the road, the odds change significantly with them hosting a Game Seven back at home at Madison Square Garden. But the informal Game Five rule did reward the team that has been playing better overall hockey in this series, despite the 2-2 tie in the series. Best of luck —  Frank.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves Dethroned their Arch Rivals But Were Not Ready to Take the Next Step

by Hollywood Sports

Friday, May 31, 2024

 aAfter dominating the Timberwolves in crunch time in the first three games in the Western Conference Finals, Dallas looked poised to pull out another one on Tuesday and complete the four-game sweep when Luka Doncic got fouled while converting a long three-pointer late in that game. But Doncic missed the free throw and the T-Wolves pulled out the victory to make it a 3-1 series. Credit Minnesota for making some defensive adjustments and finally playing better in the clutch — but perhaps being down 0-3 in the series took away the pressure that had been impacting them. They had only scored 20 combined points in the final five minutes in the first three games of this series — but they put up 27 points in the fourth quarter in Game Four to preserve the five-point lead they had after the third quarter. The Mavericks only shot 42.0% from the field in that game which was the worst shooting effort in their last six games. They made only 14 of 40 shots (25%) of their shots from behind the arc — and they missed 12 of their 17 open 3-point attempts. But it was my expectation that Dallas would shoot better in Game Five. I thought they would also play better defense after allowing the Timberwolves to make 52.7% of their shots which was the worst defensive performance in their last 12 games. The Mavericks allowed Minnesota to make 50.6% of their shots in Game Two — but they had covered the point spread in 35 of their last 54 games after allowing their last two opponents to make at least 50% of their shots. Additionally, Dallas had covered the point spread in 14 of their last 17 games after an upset loss in their last game — and they have covered the point spread in 6 of their last 8 games after a loss by six points or less. They had demonstrated their resilience by covering the point spread in 23 of their last 36 games after a straight-up loss — and they had covered the point spread in 25 of their last 39 games after a point spread loss. The Mavericks have still won seven of their last nine games — and they had covered the point spread in 19 of their last 27 games after winning six or seven of their last eight contests. They had covered the point spread in 32 of their last 49 games after failing to score more than 100 points in their last game — and they have covered the point spread in 19 of their last 28 games after not allowing more than 105 points in their last game. Dallas was going back on the road for Game Five where they had covered the point spread in 33 of their last 49 games — and they have covered the point spread in 11 of their last 16 road games as an underdog. The Mavericks have covered the point spread in 10 of their last 12 games when attempting to avenge an upset loss at home.Minnesota played their best defensive game in this series by holding the Mavs to 42.0% shooting in Game Four. They also enjoyed their best shooting effort in their last 22 games by making 52.7% of their shots. Karl-Anthony Towns played his best game in the series — by far — by scoring 25 points on 9 of 13 shooting including 4 of 5 from behind the arc including three in the fourth quarter. Towns had struggled in clutch time — and he had been inconsistent when playing at home in these playoffs. In his last five playoff games at home since the second round, Towns was scoring 13.6 Points-Per-Game on 32.3% shooting and just a 29.6% clip from behind the arc. The Timberwolves had failed to cover the point spread in 16 of their last 21 games after a win by six points or less. They return home where they had failed to cover the point spread in 21 of their last 30 home games when favored by up to six points — and they had failed to cover the point spread in 5 of their last 7 home games with the Total set in the 200-209.5 point range. Minnesota did not experience more difficulties in clutch time in Game Five — but it was not for the reasons they wanted. Dallas raced out to a 35-19 lead at the end of the first quarter and went into halftime with a 69-40 edge. The Mavericks got their lead up to 36 points in the third quarter before cruising to a 124-103 victory to end the series in five games. Looking back on the Timberwolves season, they deserve credit for dethroning the defending NBA champions — and beating the Nuggets in Denver in a seventh game was impressive. General manager Tim Connelly did a great job in assembling a roster that frustrated the potent Denver offense when playing on the defensive end of the court. After losing to the Nuggets in five games in the postseason last year, Minnesota split their four regular-season games against them and went into the Western Conference Semifinals confident that they could beat the reigning champions. But the collection of players lacked defenders who could effectively so slow down Luka Doncic (albeit, a difficult task). Yet it was not their defense that let them down in Games One through Three. Anthony Edwards got outplayed by Doncic in those games. Perhaps Kyrie Irving made the difference for Dallas in crunch time. The biggest need this T-Wolves team needs is a reliable scorer to complement Edwards. Towns scored 28 points — but he missed five of his six shots from behind the arc including his first four which helped the Mavericks seize their insurmountable lead before he managed to score some empty calorie points with his team out of the game. His continued inconsistency and tendency to disappear in key moments may reduce him to a third option rather than a reliable number-two scorer. For Minnesota to take the next step and advance to the NBA Finals, Connelly needs to address this scoring need. Best of luck — Frank. 

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Breaking Down The NBA Playoffs

by AAA Sports

Friday, May 31, 2024

We figured Boston, which was the chalk since the beginning of the season and never took its foot off the accelerator through the In-Season event, the All-Star Game, and post-season. We didn’t figure Dallas, which has caught fire at the perfect time in its rampage through a very tough Western Conference. So what exactly will we have in store once the TV schedule-mandated week-long interregnum ends on June 6?A few interesting storylines:KYRIE IRVING – Has it really been half a decade since Irving promised Celtics fans that he would re-sign with Boston, then half-heartedly went through the motions in the playoffs before grabbing his BFF Kevin Durant and bolting for Brooklyn? For a while Irving avoided playing in Boston, but that option is no longer available and he’ll have to face the blood-thirsty Boston fans at least twice.BACKCOURT vs. BACKCOURT – Speaking of Irving, has there ever been a better offensive backcourt than Irving and Luka Doncic? Maybe Steph Curry and Klay Thompson? Doncic and Irving have become the best finishers in the Association. If you doubt that, check with the Timberwolves, who could have taken control of the WCF early on if they had gotten anything at all from Karl-Anthony Towns. With Towns’s no-show, the burden was on Anthony Edwards and he was no match for the Doncic-Irving Machine. But the Dallas backcourt will have its hands full with Boston’s, with veterans Derek White and Jrue Holiday by far the best defensive twosome in the league. Will Boston double-team Doncic and/or Irving? Look for Jaylen Brown defending Irving, giving Boston a size edge at one spot, while Jrue Holiday battles with a Maverick big.KIDD vs. MAZZULLA – The Celtics have so much talent, there hasn’t been much for Mazzulla to do; hence the nickname Sidecar Joe. Boston has had relatively few close games, and the Celts haven’t always shined down the stretch like they did the ECF against Indiana. But Mazzulla has had luck on his side (Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Tyrese Haliburton all missed playoff time), and it doesn’t hurt having Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the lineup. Will Jason Kidd have an advantage if things get antsy last in games?AS FOR BROWN – Word is that the ECF MVP has not always been the most popular guy in the locker room, with the vets not liking JB’s refusal to defer to them early in his career. That slate has now been officially wiped clean, and now there is talk that Brown has even surpassed Tatum in the roster hierarchy, or may do that soon if Tatum doesn’t grow eyes in the back of his head. That might be a stretch, but there’s no doubt that Brown is a two-way (yes, he can D it up, too) beast.     WITHER PORZINGIS? – No one seems to know where the 7-foot-3 center stands in his rehab from a lower leg injury, and the Celtics aren’t talking. Even if he’s ready to go in Game 1 of the Finals, Porzingis will have been sidelined for 38 days. Will his shot think it’s still on vacation whenever KP gets back on the court? Will he have enough stamina to effectively deal with Dallas bigs Derek Lively and Daniel Gafford? Are the Celtics better off just keeping him on the sidelines and spotting him deeper in the rotation?EARLY ODDSGame 1 – The Celtics have been listed at -6 for the opener, although the number might move slightly if Porzingis is ruled in. The O/U number is 214.5. Note that the final game of the Boston/Indiana series went under, but the Celtics’ previous five games (three vs. Indiana, two vs. Cleveland) all went over. Similarly, five of Dallas’s last six games (including the WC semi-clincher vs. Oklahoma City) went over. No surprises in the listed odds for Finals MVP, with Jayson Tatum (-130) the favorite as he has been all season, followed by Luka Doncic (+200), Jaylen Brown (+600) and Kyrie Irving (+2400). The only real value there looks to be with Irving. Odds on a Celtics sweep -- +650. Odds on a Mavericks sweep -- +2300. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NHL and MLB Previews and Odds - 05/31/2024

by Big Al Staff

Friday, May 31, 2024

The Friday sports card features NHL and MLB action.The National Hockey League playoffs continue with Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. The Dallas Stas host the Edmonton Oilers on TNT and truTV at 8:40 p.m. ET. The Oilers evened this series at 2-2 with their -2 victory at home on Thursday. They have won four of their last six games. The Stars had won two games in a row in this series before the loss in Game 4. Dallas is a -130 money-line favorite, with the total set at 6 (all odds from DatKings unless indicated otherwise). The Friday card in Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Chicago Cubs play at home against the Cincinnati Reds at 2:20 p.m. ET. Javier Assad takes the ball for the Cubs to pitch against Graham Ashcraft. Chicago is a -148 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.The Philadelphia Phillies are at home against the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:05 p.m. ET. The Phillies tap Aaron Nola to pitch against Miles Mikolas for the Cardinals. Philadelphia is a -180 money-line favorite with a total of 8.The Baltimore Orioles host the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:0 p.m. ET. Ranger Suarez goes to the mound to face the Rays' Aaron Ciale. Baltimore is a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.The Toronto Blue Jays play at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:07 p.m. ET. The Blue Jays send out Jose Berrios to go against a Pirates starting pitcher yet to be named. Toronto is a -165 money-line favorite at NtMGM with a total of 8.Four MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Boston Red Sox are at home against the Detroit Tigers on Apple TV+. Tanner Houck goes to the mound to battle against Kenta Maeda of the Tigers. Boston is a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Cleveland Guardians host the Washington Nationals. The Guardians tap Tanner Bibee to duel against the Nationals' Patrick Corbin. Cleveland is a -218 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The New York Mets play at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Luis Severino gets the start for the Mets to duel against Jordan Montgomery for the Diamondbacks. New York is a -118 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7. The Texas Rangers travel to Miami to play the Marlins. The Rangers turn to Jose Urena to go against the Marlins' Sixto Sanchez. Texas is a -122 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Oakland A's at 7:20 p.m. ET. Reynaldo Lopez goes to the hill for the Braves to face J.P. Sears for the A's. Three more MLB games begin at 8:10 p.m. ET. The San Diego Padres play in Kansas City against the Royals. The Padres send out Dylan Cease to battle the Royals' Michael Wacha. San Diego is a -130 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Houston Astros host the Minnesota Twins. Ronel Blanco gets the ball for the Astros to face Pablo Lopez for the Brewers. The Milwaukee Brewers play at home against the Chicago White Sox. The Brewers turn to Tobias Myers to battle against the White Sox's Erick Fedde. Milwaukee is a -162 money-line favorite with a total of 8. Two MLB games start at 10:10 p.m. ET. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against the Colorado Rockies. Walker Buehler gets the start for the Dodgers to go against Dakota Hudson for the Rockies. Los Angeles is a -298 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Seattle Mariners host the Los Angeles Angels on Apple TV+. The Mariners turn to Bryan Woo to face an Angels' starting pitcher yet to be named. The New York Yankees are in San Francisco to play the Giants at 10:15  p.m. ET. Jordan Hicks pitches for the Giants against a starting pitcher yet to be named for the Yankees.

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Czech Republic Win Gold at IIHF World Championships

by William Burns

Thursday, May 30, 2024

The IIHF World Championships came to an end on Sunday as the Czechs claimed the gold medal against Switzerland behind some terrific home fan support. It was a very successful tournament as we saw plenty of top quality hockey involving some of the best players in the World from the NHL and other top leagues. While the Swiss ended up with silver, it was still a very impressive showing from the "Playground of Europe." Finishing in third place was Sweden, as they defeated Canada in the bronze medal game.  How the Tournament Went: Even though both the United States & Canada didn't have their best of the best come, it's always a disappointment if they aren't playing for Gold. The USA just weren't very strong from the opening match. Finishing without a medal, the US ended up losing to the Czechs (who went on to win) in the Quarter-Finals. Don't get me wrong, it was a close game. But, they should be winning that game and moving on. Canada, on the other hand, lost a shoot-out to Switzerland in the Semi-Finals. It was a heartbreak as probably their best player in the tournament, Dylan Cozens, was denied by the Swiss goalie (Leonardo Genoni) to extend the shoot-out, who was excellent throughout the whole tournament. Talking about Switzerland, they were led by their NHL superstars. Captain Roman Josi had Kevin Fiala, Nico Hischier & Nino Niederreiter with him as they battled. As mentioned earlier, the goaltender Leonardo Genoni absolutely stood on his head, especially against Canada. It's always difficult to lose in the big one, but this is a team that should be very proud of what they accomplished with the Silver Medal. The Czech Republic, led by David Pastrnak, won a battle in that Gold Medal Game. When the Boston Bruins got eliminated from the playoffs, every Czech hockey fan was waiting for the moment that the goal scoring machine would announce that he was coming. Of course, Pastrnak said yes and ended up being the hero for his home country. A goal with just over 10 minutes to go would end up being the game winner and the fans went absolutely nuts. Talk about an awesome experience. Terrific host country. Sweden and Finland were disappointed as well, especially the Fins. They actually played each other in the Quarter-Finals, in a game that was decided by an Overtime winner by Joel Eriksson Ek (Minnesota Wild Forward.) Sweden went on the lose to Czechia, but beat Canada to at least stand tall on the podium. With their talent, a goal medal was expected for them as well. Finland however, needs to get back to the top as they didn't look all that competitive in some of the group stage matches. What's Next? With all of this up and coming talent around the World, maybe International Hockey will finally get back to being what it used to be. NHL players are now allowed back in the Olympics (in 2026 and 2030,) which should gain huge viewership once again. Even more of the stars should be out for those events as the Olympics are as big as it gets. However, next year's Hockey World Championships promises to be just as good, if not better than this years. We are in a golden age of hockey right now and it's only going to get better! Speaking of the "Golden age of Hockey," we're down to the last four teams in the NHL playoffs. Both Conference Finals series are coming down to the wire. As of Thursday, May 30th, here are the odds (via. DraftKings) to win the cup! Florida Panthers +235 Dallas Stars +255 Edmonton Oilers +275 New York Rangers +370 If I had to pick one of those teams to win at the moment, it would have the be the Dallas Stars at +255. They look very strong and will get to play two of the last three games in this series against EDM at home (if necessary.) 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL and MLB Previews and Odds - 05/30/2024

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, May 30, 2024

The Thursday sports card features NBA, NHL, and MLB action.The National Basketball Association continues the playoff season with Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. The Dallas Mavericks host the Minnesota Timberwolves on TNT and truTV at 8:35 p.m. ET. The Timberwolves extended this series to a fifth game with their 105-100 upset victory as a 1.5 road underdog on Tuesday. Dallas had won five games in a row before that loss. They hold a 3-1 series lead. The Mavericks are a 5-point favorite, with the total set at 209.5 (all odds from DraftKings). The National Hockey League playoffs continue with Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Florida Panthers travel to New York to play the Rangers on ESPN at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Panthers evened this series at 2-2 with their 3-2 win in overtime on Tuesday. They have won six of their last nine games. New York had won the previous two games in this series in overtime. Florida is a -122 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.The Thursday card in Major League Baseball has eight games on its schedule. Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:10 p.m. ET. The Oakland A’s play at Tampa Bay to play the Rays. Neither team has yet to declare their starting pitcher. The Minnesota Twins play at home against the Kansas City Royals. Chris Paddack takes the ball for the Twins to pitch against Brady Singer for the Royals. Minnesota is a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Milwaukee Brewers are at home against the Chicago Cubs. The Brewers tap Colin Rea to battle against the Cubs’ Jameson Taillon. Milwaukee is a -125 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5.The Seattle Mariners host the Houston Astros at 4:10 p.m. ET. Logan Gilbert goes to the mound for the Mariners to face Spencer Arrighetti for the Astros. Seattle is a -142 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. Two MLB games start at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Boston Red Sox play at home against the Detroit Tigers. The Red Sox turn to Nick Pivetta to duel against the Tigers’ Jack Flaherty. Boston is a -122 money-line fate with an over/under of 8. The Arizona Diamondbacks are in New York to play the Mets. Zac Gallen grabs the ball for the Diamondbacks to battle against Christian Scott for the Mets. Arizona is a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5.The Atlanta Braves are at home against the Washington Nationals at 7:20 p.m. ET. The Braves turn to Reynaldo Lopez to go against the Nationals’ Trevor Williams at 7:20 p.m. ET. Atlanta is a -225 money-line favorite with an over/under total of 8.5. The New York Yankees visit Los Angeles to play the Angels at 9:38 p.m. ET. Carlos Rodon goes to the hill for the Yankees to go against Patrick Sandoval for the Angels. New York is a -180 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5.

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May Starting Pitching NL Overachievers

by Nelly's Sports

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

May Starting Pitching NL Overachievers There are a few pitchers that stand out as overachievers in the month of May, posting impressive conventional numbers but with some concerns lurking deeper in the data. Here are four National League starters which you’ll likely want to likely avoid supporting moving forward after fortunate recent runs on the mound that are not likely sustainable.  Bailey Falter – Pittsburgh Pirates There has been some recent enthusiasm and improved play from the Pirates with the arrival of rookie Paul Skenes but Bailey Falter has also posted good numbers in the rotation. Falter was among MLB’s worst starters in 2023 eventually landing with the Pirates after being traded by the Phillies after being unable to match his solid 2022 results and being relegated back to AAA. Falter has a 3.55 ERA so far for Pittsburgh this season including a 2.73 ERA in the month of May. That success came with a 3.4 K/9 in the month as his FIP is 5.14. His BABIP is just .198 in his four May starts for incredible fortune. Falter has made three of his last four starts at home as well while posting a 4.73 season ERA on the road.  Andrew Abbott – Cincinnati Reds A second round pick in 2021, Andrew Abbott is a prized young left-handed starter for the Reds that delivered good numbers in his rookie season last year with a 3.87 ERA and a 9.9 K/9 in 21 starts. This season his ERA is down to 3.29 but in the month of May Abbott had a 5.06 FIP next to a 3.30 ERA. For the season his K/9 has fallen to just 6.6 and he has allowed 11 home runs in 11 starts. Abbott’s season includes road starts in several favorable pitching venues and he has stronger numbers away from home for the season. Abbott did not pitch well in his most recent start with six runs allowed and over his last four starts he has only 11 strikeouts in 25 innings of work.  Javier Assad – Chicago Cubs A surprise success story for the Cubs, Javier Assad has great numbers through his first 11 starts in 2024. He did take his first loss of the season in his last start in St. Louis put he has a 2.42 ERA in the month of May. Somehow Assad has avoided damage even with a 4.9 BB/9 in May as his BABIP is just .243 and he owns an over 88 percent strand rate. Assad has pitched well against a few contenders posting quality starts at Wrigley Field against the Brewers and Braves in May but there is little to suggest Assad can continue an All-Star caliber pace throughout the season.  Austin Gomber – Colorado Rockies Austin Gomber has brought his ERA down to 2.76 for the season with an impressive run in May, posting an 0.68 ERA in four starts. Gomber was dealt to the Rockies as part of the Nolan Arenado trade in 2021 and after a solid first season with the Rockies he has not had much success the past two seasons. The difference so far this season is a .232 BABIP compared to his career average of .293. He has also stranded nearly 88 percent of his baserunners this season compared to a career average of just over 71 percent. Gomber pitched on the road in three of his four starts and faced struggling Pittsburgh and Oakland lineups in that run as well. The run of success for Gomber is likely to be short-lived and his ERA is likely to climb closer to his current FIP of 4.60 by season’s end. 

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May Starting Pitching AL Overachievers

by Nelly's Sports

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

May Starting Pitching AL Overachievers There are a few pitchers that stand out as overachievers in the month of May, posting impressive conventional numbers but with some concerns lurking deeper in the data. Here are four American League starters which you’ll likely want to likely avoid supporting moving forward after fortunate recent runs on the mound that are not likely sustainable. Triston McKenzie – Cleveland Guardians Triston McKenzie broke into the big leagues with big strikeout counts in 2020 and 2021 but so far in 2024 his K/9 is 8.5, the lowest of his career. This season and last season, walks have been a huge problem for McKenzie, including allowing 34 in just over 57 innings this season. McKenzie had a few rough April starts but he has a 3.06 ERA in six starts in May as Cleveland continues to control the AL Central. McKenzie has a 5.57 FIP in that span however and only six percent of his baserunners have scored. His BABIP is May is just .205 and while McKenzie has posted a low BABIP throughout his career, that is an exceptionally low mark. McKenzie has allowed 11 home runs in 11 starts and he has already faced the White Sox twice, in addition to facing the Athletics and Rockies for several favorable early season draws.  Marcus Stroman – New York Yankees After two solid seasons with the Cubs, Stroman received a two-year deal with the Yankees and so far the move has been a success with Stroman pitching well and the Yankees leading the AL East. Stroman’s numbers are pretty similar to the past two seasons in terms of strikeouts and walks, but his ERA is just 2.76 thanks a drop in his BABIP and a big rise in his strand rate with only 15 percent of baserunners scoring against him. A strong New York bullpen has helped to leave runners on the bases, but Stroman simply has had some good luck in the first two months of the season, particularly in May with a 1.78 ERA in his last five starts even with a weak 6.2 K/9. Stroman has stranded 94 percent of his baserunners in May, a rate that will be impossible to keep up over the rest of the season.  Michael Lorenzen – Texas Rangers A useful option as a starter or reliever and with some pinch hitting potential, Lorenzen has carried his weight bouncing around the league the past few seasons. He famously threw a no-hitter with the Phillies last August but eventually landed back in the bullpen. Due to injuries elsewhere in the rotation Lorenzen has been counted on to take regular turns in the Texas rotation and the results have been good with a 3.35 ERA in eight starts. Lorenzen has a worse than 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season and his month of May includes a 2.87 ERA but a 4.34 FIP. Lorenzen has turned in three quality starts in a row, but he has rarely had sustained runs of starting success in his career, something that isn’t likely to change at age 32. He recently left his last start with knee cramping and his season could unravel further from there.  Griffin Canning – Los Angeles Angels It has been a miserable season for the Angels but in the month of May, Griffing Canning has put together a run of five solid starts, pitching at least five innings while allowing three or fewer runs in each. He struggled mightily in April and still owns a 5.08 season ERA but in May it was just 2.60. His FIP in May was 5.30, however, seventh highest among all qualified AL starters. Canning still has poor strikeout and walk rates and few pitchers have a worse HR/9 than Canning in his career at 1.56, a rate he has even topped so far this season. Canning has only had 36 percent groundballs this season and is on pace for his worst K/9 in his career at just 6.5, compared to 9.0 in his career. Canning and the Angels won’t command strong valuations, but the recent run of success is more than likely to be short positive blip on Canning’s season.  

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NHL and MLB Previews and Odds - 05/29/2024

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

The Wednesday sports card features NHL and MLB action.The National Hockey League playoffs continue with Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. The Edmonton Oilers host the Dallas Stars on TNT and truTV at 8:40 p.m. ET. The Stars took a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series after their 5-3 victory in Edmonton on Monday. They have won six of their last eight games. The Oilers have lost the last two games in this series. Edmonton is a -130 money-line favorite, with the total set at 6 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Wednesday card in Major League Baseball has 16 games on its schedule. The Detroit Tigers play at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opening game of their doubleheader at 12:40 p.m. ET. Tarik Skubal takes the ball for the Tigers to pitch against Jared Jones for the Pirates. Detroit is a -150 money-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 7. The Cincinnati Reds play at home against the St. Louis Cardinals at 1:10 p.m. ET. The Reds tap Frankie Montas to face the Cardinals’ Andre Palate. Cincinnati is a -118 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Texas Rangers are at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 2:35 p.m. ET. Dane Dunning takes the mound for the Rangers to battle against Ryne Nelson for the Diamondbacks. Texas is a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Pirates take on the Tigers in the second game of their doubleheader at 3:40 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh taps Paul Skenes to face a Detroit starting pitcher yet to be named. The Tigers are a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 7. The Philadelphia Phillies travel to San Francisco to play the Giants at 3:45 p.m. ET. Ranger Suarez gets the start for the Phillies to go against Kyle Harrison for the Giants. Philadelphia is a -130 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:10 p.m. ET. San Diego hosts Miami, with the Padres turning to Yu Darvish to pitch against the Marlins’ Braxton Garrett. The Padres are a -170 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Los Angeles plays at New York with the James Paxton pitching for the Dodgers against David Peterson for the Mets. The Dodgers are a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Baltimore Orioles play at home against the Boston Red Sox at 6:35 p.m. ET. The Orioles send out Corbin Burnes to duel against the Red Sox’s Kutter Crawford. Baltimore is a -185 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Tampa Bay Rays are at home against the Oakland A’s at 6:50 p.m. ET. Ryan Pepiot gets the assignment for the Rays to face Joey Estes for the A’s. Tampa Bay is a -185 money-line favorite at BetMGM with a total of 8. The Atlanta Braves host the Washington Nationals at 7:20 p.m. ET. The Braves send Spencer Schwellenbach to the hill to pitch against the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore. Atlanta is a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three more MLB games begin at 7:40 p.m. ET. Minnesota plays at home against Kansas City, with Bailey Ober pitching for the Twins against Seth Lugo for the Royals. The Twins are a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. Toronto is in Chicago, with the Blue Jays turning to Alex Manoah to battle against the White Sox’s Chris Flexen. The Blue Jays are a -175 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Chicago visits Milwaukee, with Shota Imanaga getting the ball for the Cubs to face Bryse Wilson for the Brewers. The Cubs are a -135 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The Cleveland Guardians visit Colorado to play the Rockies at 8:40 p.m. ET. The Guardians turn to Logan Allen to pitch against the Rockies’ Tyler Blach. Cleveland is a -155 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 11. The New York Yankees play in Los Angeles against the Angels at 9:38 p.m. ET. Luis Gil goes to the hill for the Yankees to duel against Tyler Anderson for the Angels. The Yankees are a -185 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The Seattle Mariners are at home against the Houston Astros at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Mariners turn to George Kirby to battle against the Astros’ Justin Verlander. Seattle is a -112 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.

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