| Date | W/L |
| 4/17/2021 - NHL | WINNER |
At 7:05 pm,
our selection is on the Chicago Blackhawks over the Detroit Red Wings.
The Capitals had been coveting the Red Wings most talented forward,
Anthony Mantha, for some time and on the final day of the trade
deadline, Washington worked a deal for the 6' 5", 240 lb winger.
Detroit got two nice players in Richard Panik and Jakub Vrana, but the
two of them together don't add to what Mantha brought to the ice on a
nightly basis. But the Wings also let go several defensemen before the
deadline and in the long run that could have a bigger impact than the
loss of Mantha. They face a Blackhawks team tonight that looks like it
will be fighting for a playoff spot right down to the wire. The Hawks
are in fifth place in the Central -- one point ahead of the Stars -- and they
hope to pick up two points tonight in a revenge situation, as the Wings
prevailed on Thursday, 4-1. The Hawks are 9-3 in the last 12 meetings,
and 4-2 in the last six here in Detroit. Meanwhile, the Wings are a poor 5-15 in their
last 20 after allowing one goal or less in their previous game. Take
Chicago. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
|
| 4/17/2021 - MLB | LOSER |
At 6:10 pm,
our selection is on the San Francisco Giants over the Miami Marlins.
Remember Aaron Sanchez? The RHP broke into the Majors in 2014 as a
21-year-old with the Toronto Blue Jays. Sanchez went on to post three
solid seasons culminating with his 2016 campaign in which he went 15-2
with a league-leading 3.00 ERA and an All Star selection. But in the
three seasons that followed, Sanchez went 10-23 with an ERA right
around five runs as he struggled to get back to the form he displayed in
his early years. Now with the Giants, Sanchez is looking to resurrect
his career. And so far 2021 has been a return to form for the
28-year-old. It's a small sample size, but in two starts covering 10
innings, Sanchez has posted a 2.70 ERA, with three ER on nine hits, with
seven strikeouts and only one walk. RHP Sandy Alcantara will get the
start for the Marlins this evening. Miami is 7-14 in Alcantara's last
21 home starts. And the Marlins are also a wallet-breaking 46-71 (-13 games on the moneyline) in
their last 117 home games. Take the Giants. As always, good luck...Al
McMordie.
|
| 4/17/2021 - MLB | LOSER |
At 4:10 pm,
our selection is on the Cleveland Indians over the Cincinnati Reds.
RHP Triston McKenzie pretty much burst on the scene in the COVID-shortened
2020 season for the Indians. In eight games -- six starts -- the
23-year-old string bean (he's listed at 6'5" and 165 lbs) posted
some solid numbers with a 3.24 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 42 strikeouts and
nine walks, in 33 1/3 innings. McKenzie started out 2021 with a relief
appearance and then got a start his next time out, last Monday, against the
White Sox. He's lined up for his second start this afternoon against
Sonny Gray and the Reds. It will be Gray's season debut
as the veteran RHP has been hampered by a back injury which limited his Spring
training to just two innings. With Trevor Bauer gone to the Dodgers, Gray
has the talent to become the co-number one starter on the team this
season, but he will likely need a few starts to get to that level.
Despite their surprising early success this season, the Reds are just
33-52 (-23 games on the moneyline) in their last 85 day games. Take the
Indians. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
|
| 4/16/2021 - NBA | LOSER |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Miami Heat minus the points over the Minnesota Timberwolves. This will be Miami's final game in its 4-game road trip. And, after losing back to back games against Phoenix and Denver, Miami will no doubt be happy to play the NBA's worst team tonight. Minnesota has won just 14 of its 56 games this season. And, since 1990, losing teams are a poor 43% ATS as home dogs in non-division games vs. rested, winning teams off back to back losses. Additionally, Miami is 25-6 ATS away from home off back to back SU/ATS losses. Take the Heat. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
| 4/16/2021 - MLB | WINNER |
At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Cincinnati Reds over the Cleveland
Indians. The Reds will hand the ball to Jeff Hoffman tonight, while
Cleveland will start Logan Allen. This will be Allen's first road start
this season. And he's been a much worse pitcher away from home (8.10
ERA) compared to his outings at home (3.60 ERA). Hoffman will be making his second start at home, and his first one was brilliant, as he gave up just 1 run over 5 innings, in a 12-1 Cincy victory vs. the Cardinals. Overall, the Reds have won their last five at home. And that bodes well, especially given that Cleveland is a poor 18-24 (minus 7.4 games on the moneyline) on the road, when priced from +125 to -125. Take the Reds in this opening game of this 3-game series. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
| 4/16/2021 - MLB | WINNER |
At 7:05 pm,
our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the St. Louis
Cardinals. The final game of Philadelphia's series against the Mets was
postponed due to weather on Thursday, and that does three things for the
Phils. First, it allows them to skip meeting the best pitcher in NL in
Jacob deGrom (although we actually liked the value of Eflin as a +220 underdog yesterday). Second, it gives RHP Zach Eflin an extra day of rest, which is not a bad thing, as the Phillies are 19-13 after a day off, while St. Louis is a poor 10-21 in the same situation. And, third, Eflin is now favored, and the Phillies are 18-10 (+4.4 games on the moneyline) as a favorite, with him on the mound. Eflin has been very good in his two
starts so far this season. In 13
innings, he has a 3.46 ERA with 10 strikeouts and only two walks. The
Cards will go with veteran RH Carlos Martinez who began life in the
Majors as a starter before transitioning to the bullpen and is now back
in the rotation. To say that Martinez's return to the rotation has been
rough would be a big understatement. Last season, C-Mart started five
games and went 0-3 with a 9.90 ERA. And so far through two starts in
2021, he is picking up where he left off in 2020, with an 0-2 record, 6.30 ERA, and 1.40 WHIP. St. Louis is also 1-4 in
the last five meetings and 2-5 in the last seven in Philly. Take the
Phils. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
|
| 4/16/2021 - NHL | WINNER |
At 6:05 pm,
our selection is on the Montreal Canadiens over the Calgary Flames. The Canadiens decided to exercise caution at the trade deadline, and were calculated in their player moves. Montreal did make some substantial deals, but didn't go crazy and mortgage its future in the process. The Habs brought in veteran C Eric Staal, and
only gave up a third and fifth rounder in return. Then they shored
up their defense by acquiring Jon Merrill from Detroit and Erik
Gustafsson from the Flyers. Certainly, these are not earth-shattering moves, but
they may be enough to take them to the next level this upcoming post-season. Tonight, they will seek revenge against the Flames, who beat them on
Wednesday, 4-1. That victory was Calgary's third in a row, following on
the heels of a four-game losing streak. Unfortunately for Calgary, it is 5-14 (-14 games
on the moneyline) in its last 19 off a road blowout win by three or
more goals, while the Habs are 10-3 (+7 games on the moneyline) in their
last 13 off of a home blowout loss. Take Montreal. As always, good
luck...Al McMordie.
|
| 4/15/2021 - NBA | WINNER |
At 7:40 pm, our selection is on the Milwaukee Bucks over the Atlanta Hawks. Giannis Antetokounmpo has just been upgraded to 'probable,' so we'll put the trigger on the Bucks. Both teams do come into this game on win streaks. The Bucks routed the Magic by 37, and the Timberwolves by 25. Meanwhile, Atlanta's won its last three in a row, including back to back upset wins over Charlotte and Toronto in their last two. Generally speaking, I like to go against teams off back to back upset wins, and especially if they're matched up against foes also in good form, off back to back wins, themselves. Dating back to 1990, our teams off back to back upset wins are a poor 166-228 ATS. That doesn't bode well for Atlanta tonight. Nor does the fact that the Hawks have lost 11 of the last 12 meetings, straight-up, vs. Milwaukee. And Atlanta's only win was by a single point, 136-135, in overtime. Finally, Atlanta's a poor 20-39 ATS as home dogs off a win, if they're matched up against a non-division foe. Lay the points with Milwaukee. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
| 4/15/2021 - NHL | WINNER |
At 7:05 pm,
our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Florida Panthers.
The Central Division is the most competitive in the league with three
teams tied for the lead with 58 points as of this writing. Although the
Lightning is one of those teams, the Defending Cup Champions have still
suffered some bad losses this season. But none of Tampa's defeats has
been any worse than what the Predators did two nights ago, crushing the
Bolts by a 7-2 final. Back-up goalie Curtis McElhinney was in net for
the Lightning in that one and the coaches opted not to pull him even
when things got out of hand, presumably so they would have a fresh
Andrei Vasilevskiy for tonight. McElhinney doesn't see much time in
place of Tampa's #1 man and Tuesday showed why. We played on Florida in its last game, but it took overtime
against a banged-up Stars team for the Panthers to break their three
game losing streak with a 3-2 victory, on Tuesday. The Lightning are a super 32-8 (+19 games on
the moneyline) in their last 40 immediately following a loss by more than a goal in their previous game. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al
McMordie.
|
| 4/15/2021 - MLB | PUSH |
At 12:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Mets. The Phils are on a 3-game losing streak, and are in danger of getting swept by the Mets in this 4-game series. This afternoon, New York will send its ace, Jacob deGrom, to the mound, as he seeks his first win of the season. He's made two starts, and has a 0.64 ERA, but is 0-1. And that's been par for the course in deGrom's career, as he's always had a great ERA. But, much of the time, he leaves games with losses or no-decisions, as the Mets' run support for him has been below average. So, it's no surprise that the Mets are just 99-90 in his career, -28 games on the moneyline. Even worse: when installed as a home favorite of -150 (or more) with deGrom on the mound, the Mets are a wallet-busting 28-29 (minus 29 games on the moneyline). The Phillies will hand the ball to Zach Eflin today, and he's pitched well in his two starts (3.46 ERA; 1.00 WHIP). The Phillies are also a competitive 9-10 (+6 games on the moneyline) as a road underdog of +150 (or more) with Eflin. We'll take the big road underdog in this daytime affair. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
