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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 06/03/2025

The Tuesday sports card features MLB action.Major League Baseball has 15 games scheduled. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh hosts Houston with the Pirates tapping Paul Skenes to pitch against the Astros’ Lance McCullers. The Pirates are a -142 money-line favorite with the total set at 7.5 (all odds from DraftKings). Miami plays at home against Colorado with Sandy Alcantara taking the ball for the Marlins to face Chase Dollander for the Rockies. The Marlins are a -180 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Chicago Cubs travel to Washington to take on the Nationals at 6:45 p.m. ET. The Cubs turn to Cade Holton to take on the Nationals’ Trevor Williams. Chicago is a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The New York Yankees are home against the Cleveland Guardians on TBS at 7:05 p.m. ET. Carlos Rodon takes the ball for the Yankees to battle Tanner Bibee for the Guardians. New York is a -185 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Philadelphia Phillies play in Toronto against the Blue Jays at 7:07 p.m. ET. The Phillies send out Cristopher Sanchez to go against the Blue Jays’ Bowden Francis. Philadelphia is a -148 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. Two more MLB games start at 7:10 p.m. ET. Boston hosts Los Angeles with Bryan Bello taking the mound for the Red Sox to face Yusei Kikuchi for the Angels. The Red Sox are a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Cincinnati plays at home against Milwaukee with the Reds turning to Hunter Greene to pitch against the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta. The Reds are a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Atlanta Braves are home against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 7:15 p.m. ET. Spencer Strider takes the ball for the Braves to take on Zac Gallen for the Diamondbacks. Atlanta is a -148 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Tampa Bay Rays host the Texas Rangers at 7:35 p.m. ET. The Rays tap Drew Rasmussen to challenge the Rangers’ Tyler Mahle. Tampa Bay is a -142 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Detroit Tigers are in Chicago to take on the White Sox at 7:40 p.m. ET. A starting pitcher yet to be named for the Tigers will go against Shane Smith for the White Sox. The St. Louis Cardinals play at home against the Kansas City Royals at 7:45 p.m. ET. The Cardinals send out Andre Pallante to challenge the Royals’ Michael Lorenzen. St. Louis is a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Seattle Mariners are home against the Baltimore Orioles at 9:40 p.m. ET. George Kirby gets the starting assignment for the Mariners to face Tomoyuki Sugano for the Mets. Seattle is a -162 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. The San Francisco Giants host the San Diego Padres at 9:45 p.m. ET. The Giants turn to Landen Roupp to battle the Padres’ Ryan Bergent. San Francisco is a -148 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Minnesota Twins go on the road to play the Athletics at 10:05 p.m. ET. Pablo Lopez takes the hill for the Twins to take on a starting pitcher yet to be determined for the Athletics. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the New York Mets on TBS at 10:10 p.m. ET. The Dodgers turn to Clayton Kershaw to face the Mets’ Tylor Megill. Los Angeles is a -142 money-line favorite with a total of 9.

Stanley Cup Final: Conn Smythe Award Prediction

As the Edmonton Oilers prepare for a rematch against the Florida Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, much of the spotlight is on Connor McDavid, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner. However, Leon Draisaitl is also a legitimate candidate for the playoff MVP, offering significant line value and a compelling narrative that could sway voters.Playoff performance to date Draisaitl has been instrumental in the Oilers' playoff run, showcasing his offensive prowess and leadership on the ice. While McDavid leads in overall points (by the narrowest of margins - just one point), Draisaitl sits tied with Corey Perry for the team lead in goals scored and his contributions have been pivotal in critical moments, often turning the tide in tightly-contested games. His ability to elevate his play during high-stakes situations underscores his value to the team and strengthens his case for the Conn Smythe Trophy.Betting odds  Currently, Draisaitl's odds to win the Conn Smythe Trophy stand at +750, positioning him as a strong value bet compared to McDavid's favored odds of +110 (odds courtesy DraftKings). This disparity presents an opportunity for bettors seeking a high-reward wager on a player with a significant impact on his team's success, especially with the Oilers currently priced as slight favorites to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup. Should voters decide it's a toss-up between McDavid and Draisaitl the case can certainly be made for giving it to the latter after McDavid won the trophy despite Edmonton falling short one year ago.Redemption song? In last year's Stanley Cup Final, Draisaitl's performance was underwhelming, recording only three points (two goals and an assist) across seven games. This year's final round offers a chance for redemption and Draisaitl appears poised to seize it. His determination to overcome past shortcomings and lead the Oilers to victory adds a compelling narrative to his Conn Smythe candidacy . While McDavid remains the frontrunner for the Conn Smythe Trophy, Draisaitl's consistency and game-breaking ability makes him a legitimate contender. Draisaitl's current odds offer substantial value given his knack for coming through with big goals when it matters most and you won't find a bigger stage than this. As the Oilers vie for the Stanley Cup, Draisaitl's contributions could very well tip the scales in his favor for playoff MVP honors.

Stanley Cup Primer: Inside the Numbers

Remember when the Florida Panthers won the 2024 Stanley Cup, and forward Matthew Tkachuk had one message for Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid in the handshake line:"Hopefully we’ll see you next year!"Welp! Away we go.And before I go any further, allow me to remind you that I head into the Stanley Cup Final on a 52-39-1 run in hockey since Jan. 28, for a net profit of $16,140.After 1,392 NHL games, not to mention a very fun 4 Nations Face-Off clash in February, the Panthers and Oilers will run it back, as we're about to be treated to just the second Stanley Cup Final rematch in the past 40 years.Only one way to appreciate the teams that got here, and that's with an NHL Stat Roll from the Conference Finals. Let's take a look at the teams we're about to watch skate for the right to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup:OFFENSIVE SURGE: Florida outscored Carolina 16-4 through the first three games of the Eastern Conference Final while becoming the first team in 44 years - and sixth in NHL history - to score five or more goals in each of the first three games of the Conference Finals/Semifinals. Perspective: The Panthers have scored a combined 37 goals in Games 1-3 over the first three rounds. They've allowed 24 in those nine games.ROAD CATS: Forget about being a road dog, these Road Cats tied a franchise record for road wins in one playoff year (8), set an NHL record for goals through 10 road games in one postseason (48), claimed all three series with a road-clinching win and ride a road winning streak of five games into the finalBARKING CAT: Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov showed why he is a three-time winner of the award after sharing the series lead with seven points in the ECF alone, while leading Florida in percentage of offensive zone time at even strength (41.1%) against a Hurricanes squad that led the league in offensive zone time during both the regular season and playoffs. Barkov leads Florida's balanced offense with 17 points in 17 games and is one of 19 different goal scorers for the club this postseason.FREE FLOWING OIL: Since falling behind 2-0 to Los Angeles in the opening round, Connor McDavid and the Oilers flow into the Cup Final on a 12-2 run, including a four-game win streak. Edmonton is averaging more than four goals-per-game during that stretch (4.14) while outscoring opponents 58-33, including 19-5 during their string of four straight victories. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each have tallied 5 goals and 17 assists since Game 3 of the first round, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has all 18 of his points during the 14-game stretch.CONNOR "DUE" MCAVID: If there was ever a time the fastest skater on the planet was due to win the Cup, it's this year. And he's skated like it, even more so than we saw in 2024. McDavid scored his second career series-clinching goal in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, ironically, 97 days after No. 97 scored the championship-clinching overtime goal for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. McDavid comes into the Cup Final with 43 goals and 100 assists in 90 career playoff games. He became the fourth player in NHL history with 20 or more points in four consecutive postseasons.REVENGE RETURN: Edmonton is the seventh team since the start of the NHL’s expansion era (1967-68 onward) to return to the Stanley Cup Final after losing in it the season prior. Of the previous six teams to return, three have won the title, including the Panthers last season.OIL RUNS DEEP: Balance helped the Oilers return to the Cup Final, as all but two Edmonton skaters registered a point in the Western Conference Final (19 of 21). It marked just the seventh time a team has had that many players contributing in the Conference Finals/Semifinals or Stanley Cup Final.THE NETMINDERS: Goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky (Panthers) and Stuart Skinner (Oilers) will oppose one another for a second straight year and will do so after being the only goaltenders to post a save percentage of .900 or better in the 2025 Conference Finals. Bobrovsky set a franchise record with his third shutout of the postseason in Game 2 against Carolina, while Skinner enters the Final with three shutouts and a share of the Oilers' franchise benchmark. Skinner became the ninth goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout in each of his first three wins of a postseason and was the fifth in the league's modern era (since 1944) to allow one goal or fewer through his first four wins.

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