Tuesday 4-17-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-16-2018, 10:21 PM

Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
the toronto raptors spent the regular season making franchise history and started the postseason the same way while brushing aside memories of poor game 1 performances and shoving aside the washington wizards. the pressure of game 1 now off, the top-seeded raptors will try to push the lead to 2-0 when they host the wizards on tuesday in game 2 of the first-round eastern conference series.

toronto dropped 10 straight game 1s before fighting for a 114-106 victory on saturday and credited a change in philosophy from previous years that includes more ball movement to take the pressure off all-star guards demar derozan and kyle lowry. "you don't force the issue," raptors coach dwane casey told reporters after the win. "you have to give it up and make a play. that's what kyle and demar have been doing all year -- different than last year. if this were last year, they would be feeling the pressure of having to score and put all of the burden of their backs. i didn't feel that tonight." toronto shot 52.3 percent from the floor in the win, and the wizards are aware of the need to turn things up on the defensive end. "it's definitely a pick your poison but we have to do it better," washington coach scott brooks told reporters. "we have to be able to close out on point, close out on the catch, know who has the ball and which way to close out on them."
tv: 7 p.m. et, nbatv, nbcs washington plus, tsn (toronto)
about the wizards: washington all-star point guard john wall is still working his way back into shape following knee surgery and went 6-of-20 from the floor in game 1 but still finished with 23 points and 15 assists. fellow all-star guard bradley beal scored 19 points and knows it's a long series. "we take it a game at time," beal told reporters. "we had opportunities -- several opportunities -- to win tonight and close it out, but we didn't. you know, you brush it off and move forward. we got another one on tuesday."
about the raptors: lowry and derozan combined for 15 assists in game 1 as six toronto players scored in double figures and eight attempted at least five field goals. "we've got the utmost confidence in our teammates," derozan told reporters. "the way we've been playing all year, the style of play we've been playing is having trust in our teammates to make the next play. you see it." the biggest surprise among the supporting cast in game 1 was reserve point guard delon wright, who scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting - 10 points above his regular-season average.
buzzer beaters

1. raptors pg fred vanvleet (shoulder) missed game 1 and is day-to-day.

2. washington pfs markieff morris and mike scott combined to score 36 points on 16-of-25 shooting on saturday.

3. toronto sf cj miles went 4-of-7 from 3-point range to lead the team's 16-of-30 effort from beyond the arc.

prediction: raptors 123, wizards 115

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-16-2018, 10:22 PM

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
the boston celtics are relying on everybody with injured kyrie irving done for the postseason and it worked pretty well in their playoff opener. boston attempts to take a 2-0 lead over the milwaukee bucks on tuesday after having five players tally 19 or more points in sunday's 113-107 overtime victory.

starting backcourt members terry rozier (23 points) and jaylen brown (20) plus wing jayson tatum (19) combined for 62 points in the eastern conference first-round opener and coach brad stevens feels that could catapult the trio's confidence level. "those guys lived a lot of what the playoffs are about today," stevens told reporters. "the good news is that they've got now a little bit of experience and know how hard it is, know how detailed you have to be to finish a team out." milwaukee certainly had a chance to score a game 1 victory but standout forwards giannis antetokounmpo (35 points) and khris middleton (31) didn't receive enough help from their teammates. "we know we can do a lot better," antetokounmpo told reporters on monday. "we're hoping (tuesday) night we can play a lot better and win the game."

tv: 8 p.m. et, tnt, fs wisconsin (milwaukee), nbcs boston
about the bucks: milwaukee will need better efforts from the starting backcourt as both eric bledsoe (nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, five turnovers) and tony snell (two points, minus-17 on the plus/minus ratio) had poor outings. bledsoe's ball-handling troubles were particularly troublesome as his sloppiness set the tone for the club's 20 total miscues. "we need to be more aggressive and attack the paint," bledsoe told reporters. "it's basketball, we're still going to turn the ball over. we still had numerous chances to win the game. we could've got a couple more rebounds and been up a few more points. turnovers are going to happen."

about the celtics: rozier started just 16 regular-season games over his three nba seasons but he was up for the task in a game 1 effort that included four 3-pointers. "this is my third time in the playoffs and it just keeps getting better," rozier told reporters. "it's unfortunate what happened to our teammates throughout the whole year, but we still got each other and we still got to fight, still got to win." brown played an average of 12.6 minutes in 17 playoff games last season - he averaged five points - but looked like a well-experienced veteran in his 46 minutes of action in game 1.
buzzer beaters

1. c al horford (24 points, 12 rebounds) and pf marcus morris (21 points) were the other celtics who scored 19 or more in game 1.

2. middleton was 5-of-7 from 3-point range in the opener and buried a 35-foot buzzer beating that forced overtime.

3. boston pg marcus smart (thumb) indicated he might be available should the series stretch to a seventh game.

prediction: celtics 117, bucks 105

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-16-2018, 10:22 PM

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
anthony davis felt the pressure dissipating in the final seconds of the opener and now he looks to help the new orleans pelicans take a 2-0 lead when they visit the portland trail blazers on tuesday. davis had never been part of a playoff win until the pelicans posted a 97-95 victory on saturday in the first game of the western conference first-round series.

davis starred with 35 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots as the pelicans stunned a portland team that won 21 of its final 24 regular-season home contests. "it means a lot to get that monkey off your back and get your first win," davis told reporters. "now that's over with, and we want to come in tuesday and get another one. that's our mindset." portland will need an improved performance if it wants to even the series as it shot just 37.8 percent from the field as well as struggling to just 36 points in the first half. "i think it puts some pressure on us," star guard damian lillard told reporters. "you come in with home court, the first two games are on your floor, and you lose. and now they're saying in their locker room, 'we got one, why not get another?'"

tv: 10:30 p.m. et, tnt, fs new orleans, nbcs northwest (portland)
about the pelicans: veteran point guard rajon rondo reminded folks why he earned the tag "playoff rondo" as he once again elevated his play and matched the franchise record for assists in a playoff game (17 by chris paul in 2008) as well as helped force lillard into 6-of-23 shooting. rondo has averages of 14.3 points, 9.2 assists and 1.9 steals in 97 career playoff games and coach alvin gentry appreciates the calmness he provides to younger less-experienced players. "i think there is a sense of confidence that he has, especially this time of the year," gentry told reporters. "he's a really bright player. one of the smartest guys i've ever been around. ... i also think he has a way of giving confidence to the other guys. he makes them believe in themselves."

about the trail blazers: lillard had just 18 points in game 1 and backcourt sidekick cj mccollum scored 19 on 7-of-18 shooting as the duo connected on just 13-of-41 attempts. "i thought we just didn't make shots. give credit to what they did defensively," lillard said. "they were physical, and they were up trapping a lot of my pick-and-rolls. i think it just comes down to the way we shot. we did get a fair amount of good looks -- we just didn't knock them down." center jusuf nurkic had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds but he was just 3-of-7 shooting in addition to having trouble defending davis.
buzzer beaters

1. davis has a 32.2 scoring average in five career playoff games and scored more than 25 in each game.

2. portland backup pf ed davis collected 13 rebounds in just 20 minutes in game 1.

3. new orleans f nikola mirotic collected 16 points and 11 rebounds in game 1 for his first career postseason double-double.

prediction: trail blazers 116, pelicans 109

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-16-2018, 10:22 PM

Washington Capitals vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
the washington capitals are watching history repeat itself in the postseason, victimized by an opponent that is enjoying its first taste of playoff success. after rallying for a pair of overtime victories in washington, the columbus blue jackets can put a stranglehold on their eastern conference first-round series when they host the capitals in game 3 of the best-of-seven set on tuesday night.

columbus has never led, much less won, a postseason series but became only the fifth team in history to erase multiple-goal deficits in the opening two games of a playoff series. "it's a mindset. it's a bridge we have crossed and i hope we stay on the right side," blue jackets coach john tortorella said. "we go out there knowing we're going to win. we're there to win. not hope. as we've gone through a process as a young team the past couple of years, it was hoping." washington now is in the position of hoping to avoid another early playoff exit -- it has lost in the second round in each of the past three seasons but did push pittsburgh to seven games a year ago after also dropping the first two at home. "you're right now in a hard position," acknowledged capitals superstar alex ovechkin. "but it's going to be fun when we bounce back and (we're) going to tie the series and come back here and play game 5 at home."
tv: 7:30 p.m. et, nbc sports network, sportsnet360, tvas, nbcs washington, fs ohio (columbus)
about the capitals: washington learned monday that forward andre burakovsky will miss at least the next two games after sustaining an upper-body injury and he will be replaced by jakub vrana, who was a healthy scratch tuesday after collecting an assist in the series opener. "there was a lot of jitters in his game," coach barry trotz said of vrana. "the game was a little bit overwhelming. as a staff, we looked at that. but ... he's going to fill that hole exactly as burakovsky's done." trotz said he has made his decision on his starting goaltender in game 3 but would not disclose if he is going back to braden holtby after he replaced philipp grubauer in the third period of sunday's loss.
about the blue jackets: matt calvert delivered the deciding tally in overtime sunday, but cam atkinson netted two goals to rally columbus from a pair of two-goal deficits and continue a late-season binge that has seen him score 13 times over his last 13 games. "i think he's at a higher level now than he was even last year, and it's at a perfect time," tortorella said of atkinson, who pumped in a career-best 35 goals in 2016-17. two-time vezina trophy winner sergei bobrovsky entered the series with a ghastly 3-10 postseason record but he has been immense in the first two games, setting a franchise record with 54 saves, including 21 in the third period, in sunday's victory.
overtime

1. teams who have lost the first two of a best-of-seven series at home have come back to win on only 19 of 89 occasions.

2. atkinson is riding an 11-game point streak.

3. washington is 5 of 13 on the power play but has allowed columbus to convert on 4 of 8 chances with the extra skater.

prediction: capitals 4, blue jackets 3

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-16-2018, 10:23 PM

Winnipeg Jets vs. Minnesota Wild Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
the minnesota wild aim to draw even in their first-round playoff series against the winnipeg jets on tuesday at home, bolstered by a resounding 6-2 triumph in sunday's game 3 to pull within two games to one. outplayed in two losses at winnipeg and facing a must-win situation in game 3, zach parise scored for the third consecutive game and, after goaltender devan dubnyk held off the jets through most of the second period, the wild broke it open with three goals in 3:43.

"that's the way the playoffs go," parise told reporters after five players finished with multi-point games in chasing winnipeg netminder connor hellebuyck after two periods. "you go from losing two, thinking it's the end of the world, and all of a sudden we've got some life." the wild took it to the jets from the beginning with a physical brand of play minnesota lacked in the opening two games, and winnipeg - which did not make it to town until sunday morning due to a blizzard - mustered no response after tyler myers pulled the jets within 3-2 in the second period. "it's all about how you respond," jets center adam lowry told the media after winnipeg's first defeat since march 29, snapping a seven-game winning streak. "we've done a good job of responding and finding our game for the next one." clearly the jets still hold the upper-hand in the series but face the prospect of playing the pivotal game 4 without myers, a standout defenseman with two goals in the series who left with a leg injury in the second period.

tv: 8 p.m. et, cnbc, tva2, sportsnet (winnipeg), fs north (minnesota)
about the jets: winnipeg coach paul maurice did not offer an update after monday's practice on myers, who has three points in the series while helping the jets defense provide a spark in the first two games. captain blake wheeler scored a power-play goal to give winnipeg a short-lived 1-0 lead, but the nhl co-leader in assists in the regular season is a minus-3 in the series. the jets played outstanding defense in the opening two games in winnipeg but were victimized by undisciplined play at times in game 3, as defenseman ben chiarot finished minus-2 and drew two minor penalties.
about the wild: the heroes were plenty in game 3 but a pair of rookies - defenseman nick seeler (two assists and strong play on the penalty kill) and forward jordan greenway (first career goal) - helped set the tone in the decisive second period. captain mikko koivu notched a pair of assists to give him four in the series, while fellow forward mikael granlund rebounded from a quiet opening two games with a goal and an assist. dubnyk, who was pounded by 84 shots in the opening two games, denied several high-quality chances while the game was close and finished with 29 saves.
overtime

1. the jets are 1-for-8 on the power play in the past two games, while minnesota is 3-for-7 after netting two power-play goals in game 3.

2. seeler, who totaled four points in 22 regular-season games as a rookie, is a plus-2 with 10 blocked shots to go with his two assists in the series.

3. winnipeg's depth at the blueline will be tested if myers cannot play, but d toby enstrom - who has not seen action since march 23 with a lower-body injury -could be an option along with rookie d tucker poolman.

prediction: jets 3, wild 2

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-16-2018, 10:23 PM

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
only four teams in nhl history have rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series and one of them is the los angeles kings, who came back from the dead against san jose in 2014 en route to winning the stanley cup. the kings find themselves in that situation again as they try to fight off elimination against the visiting vegas golden knights on tuesday night.

after allowing three third-period goals to the expansion golden knights in sunday's 3-2 defeat, los angeles is more concerned with sending the western conference first-round series back to las vegas than it is preoccupied with duplicating the comeback of four years ago. "we know it's possible. we've done it before, but i don't think we're looking that far ahead," kings defenseman drew doughty said monday. "obviously, we got to win this series, but we're not looking at it in that sort of way. we just got to win one game right now. a series has so many momentum turns, and you never know what can happen if we win that next game." there were questions of whether the golden knights could deal with postseason pressure or thrive away from raucous t-mobile arena but they are on the verge of becoming the first team to advance to the next round. "they really came out really hard. we don't expect anything different," vegas forward david perron said. "they're a great team over there with a great goalie and some great players. we expect the exact same thing next game."
tv: 10:30 p.m. et, nbc sports network, cbc, tvas, at&t sportsnet-rocky mountain (las vegas), prime ticket (los angeles)
about the golden knights: tied at 1-1 late in the third period, vegas scored twice in a 21-second span, getting the tiebreaking tally from james neal and an insurance goal from william karlsson, who led the team with 43 during the regular season. neal has reached 20 goals in each of his 11 seasons and is a proven playoff performer with 14 tallies in 42 postseason games over the previous three seasons with nashville. "you want to score big goals, for sure," neal said. "i think when you do the right things -- if you're finishing your checks, you're playing well defensively -- the goals will come. i've been in enough of those games that i feel like if you stick with it, you'll get your chance."
about the kings: los angeles allowed the fewest goals in the league during the regular season but a lack of offense is proving to be its downfall -- the kings have won one of eight playoff games since hoisting the cup and are 1-6 in those decided by one goal. "i felt it was our best game of the series," coach john stevens said at monday's optional practice of his team's latest effort. "got a lot more pressure on the puck. i still think there are some things we can do better offensively to create some more opportunity at the net." captain anze kopitar scored a late goal and set up the opening tally in game 3, but he is the only los angeles player with more than one point in the series.
overtime

1. the kings failed on all five power-play chances in game 3 and are 1-for-13 in the series.

2. golden knights g marc-andre fleury has turned aside 96 of 99 shots in the series.

3. kings f tyler toffoli has 14 shots on net in the series but is mired in an eight-game goal drought, his second-longest of the season.

prediction: kings 2, golden knights 1

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-17-2018, 09:09 AM

Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
the toronto blue jays play in a stadium with a retractable roof, but that doesn't mean they're immune to harsh weather north of the border. a chunk of falling ice pierced the dome and caused the cancellation of monday's scheduled game against the visiting kansas city royals, and the teams will make that up as part of a straight doubleheader on tuesday.

the postponement on monday marked the third straight for toronto, which was washed out in cleveland on saturday and sunday on the heels of a stretch of nine wins in 12 games. "obviously, we've been playing really well, and you want that momentum going," blue jays right-hander marco estrada told the toronto sun before finding out about monday's postponement. "maybe our first game out, we might be a little rusty, but i don't think taking two days off is going to affect anybody." veteran left-hander jaime garcia, who originally was slated to pitch saturday, is expected to get the start in the first game for the blue jays against eric skoglund while j.a. happ and danny duffy face off in the second game. the royals had their game against the los angeles angels on sunday postponed and may have needed the break after losing five straight contests in which they allowed a total of 29 runs as they begin a seven-game road trip.
tv: 6:37 p.m. et, fs kansas city, sportsnet one (toronto)
pitching matchup: royals lh danny duffy (0-2, 5.40 era) vs. blue jays lh j.a. happ (2-1, 3.94)

duffy turned in his best effort of the young season against seattle on wednesday, when he yielded two runs - one earned - on four hits in 5 1/3 innings while striking out seven. the 29-year-old has yet to complete six innings through three starts despite averaging 100 pitches in the last two. duffy did not face the blue jays last season and is 2-3 with a 5.93 era and 19 walks in 27 1/3 career innings against them, spanning six games (five starts).
happ turned in his first quality start of 2018 when he held the baltimore orioles to one run on five hits while striking out nine in six innings on april 9. the 35-year-old owns 23 strikeouts and five walks in 16 total innings but also surrendered four home runs. happ allowed two runs in 13 1/3 total innings over two starts against kansas city last season but ended up 0-1 in those turns.
walk-offs

1. toronto rhp roberto osuna (five saves) allowed two hits and struck out five with no walks in 7 1/3 scoreless innings to start the season.

2. kansas city is tied for last in the majors with five home runs - three from mike moustakas and two by lucas duda.

3. the royals won four of their six matchups against the blue jays and were 17-15 versus the american league east last year.

prediction: royals 3, blue jays 2

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-17-2018, 09:09 AM

Miami Marlins vs. New York Yankees Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
derek jeter thought it might be awkward attending games at yankee stadium this week with his new team, the miami marlins, and he was probably right. the yankees crushed the marlins 12-1 in the series opener and will go for the two-game interleague sweep when they host the finale on tuesday.

jeter's biggest move since taking over as ceo of miami was trading reigning national league mvp giancarlo stanton to new york, and stanton watched his new team bludgeon his old for 15 hits in the easy victory. stanton was hit by a pitch and scored a run in the win but went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts to continue a slow start while fellow slugger aaron judge belted his fourth home run and extended his hitting streak to 12 straight games. miami is last in the majors in team slugging percentage and monday marked the ninth time in the last 12 games that it was held to three or fewer runs. the marlins will try to snap a three-game slide and even the series behind lefty jarlin garcia while the yankees counter with masahiro tanaka.

tv: 6:35 p.m. et, fs florida (miami), yes (new york)
pitching matchup: marlins lh jarlin garcia (0-0, 1.13 era) vs. yankees rh masahiro tanaka (2-1, 5.19)
if there is a bright spot for miami during its slow start, it's garcia, who took a no-hitter through six innings against the new york mets on wednesday. the 25-year-old dominican spent all of his 2017 rookie campaign in the bullpen and was pulled after 77 pitches against the mets, leaving without factoring in the decision. garcia is not getting much support from the offense and has yet to find the win column while allowing a total of five hits in 16 innings.
tanaka is having less trouble finding run support and earned a win at boston on wednesday despite getting roughed up for six runs on seven hits and a pair of walks in five innings. the japan native served up a pair of home runs in that outing and recorded a season-low three strikeouts. tanaka lost his lone previous start against miami and is 7-5 with a 3.13 era in 13 career interleague outings.
walk-offs

1. judge's home on monday was the 60th of his career and came in his 197th game, making him the fastest in major league history to reach 60 (mark mcgwire, 202).

2. miami 2b starlin castro, who was involved in the stanton deal, went 0-for-3 with a strikeout against his former team.

3. new york signed if-of jace peterson to a major league contract on monday after designating him for assignment last week.

prediction: yankees 9, marlins 2

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-17-2018, 09:09 AM

Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
the toronto blue jays play in a stadium with a retractable roof, but that doesn't mean they're immune to harsh weather north of the border. a chunk of falling ice pierced the dome and caused the cancellation of monday's scheduled game against the visiting kansas city royals, and the teams will make that up as part of a straight doubleheader on tuesday.

the postponement on monday marked the third straight for toronto, which was washed out in cleveland on saturday and sunday on the heels of a stretch of nine wins in 12 games. "obviously, we've been playing really well, and you want that momentum going," blue jays right-hander marco estrada told the toronto sun before finding out about monday's postponement. "maybe our first game out, we might be a little rusty, but i don't think taking two days off is going to affect anybody." veteran left-hander jaime garcia, who originally was slated to pitch saturday, is expected to get the start in the first game for the blue jays against eric skoglund while j.a. happ and danny duffy face off in the second game. the royals had their game against the los angeles angels on sunday postponed and may have needed the break after losing five straight contests in which they allowed a total of 29 runs as they begin a seven-game road trip.
tv: 3:07 p.m. et, fs kansas city, sportsnet (toronto)
pitching matchup: royals lh eric skoglund (0-1, 9.64 era) vs. blue jays lh jaime garcia (1-0, 3.18)

skoglund struggled in his only start of the season last tuesday as he was tagged for five runs and six hits while hitting three batters over 4 2/3 innings of a loss to seattle. the 25-year-old floridian has not won since his major-league debut on may 30, when he limited detroit to two hits over 6 1/3 scoreless frames. skoglund, who is 0-3 with a 13.22 era in five starts and two relief appearances since the victory, faces the blue jays for the first time in his career after being moved back two days due to sunday's postponement.
garcia recorded his first win with the blue jays in his last start on april 8 after allowing three runs, five hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings at texas. the 31-year-old mexican was even better in his season debut against the chicago white sox, giving up one run and four hits while striking out seven over six frames in a no-decision. lucas duda is 2-for-5 with a homer versus garcia, who is 1-1 with a 5.68 era in five career starts against the royals.
walk-offs

1. toronto rhp roberto osuna (five saves) allowed two hits and struck out five with no walks in 7 1/3 scoreless innings to start the season.

2. kansas city is tied for last in the majors with five home runs - three from mike moustakas and two by duda.

3. the royals won four of their six matchups against the blue jays and were 17-15 versus the american league east last year.

prediction: blue jays 6, royals 3

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-17-2018, 09:09 AM

Baltimore Orioles vs. Detroit Tigers Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
the detroit tigers are suffering through growing pains and a relentless mother nature that is retarding their potential progress as they host the equally struggling baltimore orioles for a three-game series beginning tuesday. detroit (4-9), which has been shut out three times and held to one run on three other occasions, has already lost five dates because of postponement and hasn't played since friday.

"you are always trying to win ballgames, but you know you have to let things play out," tigers manager ron gardenhire told reporters about allowing his young players to find their way. "right now, we're just making sure everyone gets a piece of this thing and get their feet on the ground a little bit." examples of detroit youth struggling include second baseman dixon machado (.234 this season) and third baseman jeimer candelario (.200), who have a combined 173 career games under their belts. baltimore (5-11) endured its first postponement of the season when monday's game at boston was called sunday after it lost three straight to the red sox by a combined 20-7, leaving its starters with a 5.33 era. the orioles' andrew cashner, though, has recorded two quality starts since a rough debut with the club and opposes francisco liriano, who took a no-hitter into the fifth inning in his last outing.
tv: 6:40 p.m. et, masn 2 (baltimore), fs detroit
pitching matchup: orioles rh andrew cashner (1-1, 2.50 era) vs. tigers lh francisco liriano (1-1, 2.13)

cashner received a no-decision after allowing four hits and three walks while striking out six over seven shutout innings of baltimore's 2-1 loss to toronto on april 10. "i kind of feel like this has been my whole career," the 31-year-old texan told reporters about run support. "... it's one of those things when you know every pitch means something. i'm not saying it doesn't sometimes, but for me, it's more that you're more invested in every pitch just because you know it's going to be a tight game all night." cashner pitched a one-hitter, walking two and striking out 11 in his only start against detroit, a 6-0 victory for the padres in san diego on april 11, 2014.
liriano was the hard-luck loser in a 2-0 setback at cleveland on april 9 when he yielded a two-run homer to bradley zimmer in the fifth inning among three hits, walked three and struck out four in six innings. the 34-year-old dominican has settled back into his starter's role after appearing in relief in all 25 games - postseason included - while winning the world series with houston after the trade deadline last season. adam jones is 8-for-24 with three home runs versus liriano, who is 2-5 with a 4.14 era in 10 starts versus baltimore.
walk-offs

1. tigers 1b miguel cabrera is third among active players in rbis (1,622), trailing albert pujols and adrian beltre, and fourth in hits (2,648) behind ichiro suzuki, beltre and pujols.

2. orioles ss manny machado has three home runs and nine rbis - all in the last nine games - and is 14-for-38 during that span after starting the season 6-for-27.

3. detroit c james mccann (.189) ended an 0-for-15 drought by going 2-for-3 with a homer and three rbis in friday's 8-6 loss to the new york yankees.

prediction: tigers 3, orioles 2

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-17-2018, 09:09 AM

Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
the colorado rockies have been rolling on their seven-game road trip and look to continue the trend when they visit the pittsburgh pirates on tuesday for the middle contest of their three-game series. colorado took three of four in washington before opening the set on monday with a 6-2 triumph.

trevor story went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer while charlie blackmon also went deep and drove in two runs as the rockies improved to 8-2 on the road since losing their first two games of the season in arizona. blackmon has gone deep in three straight contests, collecting seven rbis in that span. pittsburgh was limited to four hits as it returned home from a 4-2 road trip, and two of those hits were triples - including the second in four contests by francisco cervelli, who has gone 10-for-21 during his six-game hitting streak. starling marte added his third triple of the year, eclipsing his total in 77 games last season, while corey dickerson singled to extend his hitting streak to 11 contests (19-for-44).
tv: 7:05 p.m. et, at&t sportsnet-rocky mountain (colorado), at&t sportsnet-pittsburgh
pitching matchup: rockies rh chad bettis (2-0, 2.04 era) vs. pirates rh trevor williams (3-0, 1.56)

bettis has been superb in the early going, allowing fewer than three runs and working at least five innings in each of his first three starts. the 28-year-old texan is coming off his best effort, a victory at washington on thursday in which he gave up one run and three hits over seven frames. bettis has yet to defeat pittsburgh in his career, going 0-2 with a 6.26 era in four starts and two relief appearances.
as outstanding as bettis has been, williams' beginning to 2018 is even more impressive as he has yielded a total of three runs while winning all three of his turns. the 25-year-old californian worked six strong innings against the cubs in chicago on thursday, allowing four hits - including a solo homer for the only run he surrendered. williams gave up five runs and seven hits over 6 2/3 innings at colorado on july 21 but came away with the win in his only career start versus the rockies.
walk-offs

1. the pirates recalled max moroff from triple-a indianapolis on monday as fellow 2b josh harrison (broken left hand) was placed on the 10-day disabled list and is expected to miss six weeks.

2. each of blackmon's seven home runs this season have come on the road.

3. pittsburgh activated lhp enny romero, who was claimed off waivers from washington on saturday, and optioned rhp dovydas neverauskas to indianapolis.

prediction: pirates 3, rockies 1

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-17-2018, 09:10 AM

Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

17th April 2018 by Gracenote
bryce harper has tormented the new york mets numerous times already this season while gio gonzalez arguably may give him a run for the role of public enemy no. 1 at citi field. harper and gonzalez aim to continue their respective torrid stretches on tuesday as the washington nationals vie for a series victory over the host mets.

harper muscled a broken-bat homer in the first inning and a two-run single to highlight washington's six-run eighth in monday's 8-6 win to improve to 6-for-14 with three homers, six rbis and five runs scored versus new york this season. that offensive production would be welcomed by gonzalez, who owns a 10-1 mark with a rail-thin 1.69 era while limiting the mets to a .167 batting average in 15 career starts at citi field. while the nationals (8-9) improved to 5-2 on the road after posting just their fourth victory in 13 outings overall, new york (12-3) is in the midst of its first "slump" after losing two of three on the heels of a nine-game winning streak. asdrubal cabrera belted a two-run shot to highlight his four-hit performance in the opener to improve to 9-for-18 with two homers, four rbis and five runs scored versus washington this season.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, masn (washington), sny (new york)
pitching matchup: nationals lh gio gonzalez (1-1, 2.20 era) vs. mets rh zack wheeler (1-0, 1.29)

gonzalez pitched well in his previous outing against new york before settling for a no-decision despite allowing one run on six hits in 5 1/3 innings on april 7. the 32-year-old walked three batters in that contest and did the same five days later versus colorado, as he was taken deep for the first time and took the loss after permitting three runs in five innings. yoenis cespedes is a blistering 7-for-16 with two homers in his career versus gonzalez, who has also struggled against juan lagares (17-for-44) and jose reyes (7-for-19).
wheeler made an impact after being recalled from triple-a las vegas, overcoming a solo homer in the first inning to allow just one more hit while striking out seven in seven frames during wednesday's 4-1 victory over miami. the 27-year-old, who credited a change in his delivery for his success, retired his final 16 batters in that contest and will get another start as left-hander jason vargas (hand) works his way back to the rotation. "it's very satisfying," wheeler said. "i had a lot of trouble in the spring repeating it. it's hard to get out of that other arm slot, but it's paying off."
walk-offs

1. new york 3b todd frazier is 9-for-19 with two homers and six rbis during his six-game hitting streak.

2. nationals 1b ryan zimmerman is 0-for-10 with four strikeouts in his last two contests overall and 0-for-14 versus the mets this season.

3. new york rf jay bruce is expected to draw back into the lineup on tuesday after sitting out two games with plantar fasciitis.

prediction: nationals 5, mets 2

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-17-2018, 09:10 AM

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

17th April 2018 by Gracenote
mallex smith is taking full advantage of his chance for more playing time in the first month of the season, and the speedy outfielder looks to remain hot when his tampa bay rays host the texas rangers on tuesday for the middle contest of their three-game set. smith registered his second four-hit performance in eight days in monday's series-opening 8-4 victory to raise his average to .409, including a 15-of-28 spurt over his last seven contests.

smith played center field on monday in place of former gold glove winner kevin kiermaier, who will miss up to three months due to right thumb surgery after being injured in sunday's loss to philadelphia. former rays left-hander matt moore will try to cool off smith when he takes the mound for the rangers on tuesday against impressive rookie yonny chirinos, who has yet to give up a run in three appearances (two starts). texas, which was coming in off two straight wins against defending world series champion houston, gave up eight runs in the first four innings of monday's contest. nomar mazara hit a late three-run homer for the rangers in the series opener and is 9-for-26 over his last seven games while joey gallo belted his team-leading sixth shot in the setback.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, fs southwest (texas), fs sun (tampa bay)
pitching matchup: rays lh matt moore (0-3, 8.76 era) vs. rays rh yonny chirinos (0-0, 0.00)

moore is coming off the best of his three starts this season as he allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings against the los angeles angels on wednesday. the 28-year-old floridian, who won 39 games for tampa bay between 2011-16, did not get more than 12 outs in either of his first two turns as he yielded 10 runs - nine earned - in 7 1/3 total frames. denard span is 2-for-6 against moore, who will face his former team for the first time since he was traded to san francisco.
chirinos has been one for the bright spots in a disappointing start for the rays, allowing eight hits and two walks over 14 1/3 scoreless innings in his first three major-league games. the 24-year-old venezuelan limited the chicago white sox to four hits and recorded a season-high five strikeouts over 5 1/3 frames on wednesday. chirinos, who went 12-5 at triple-a durham last year, has not received much offensive support as tampa bay scored a total of four runs in his three appearances.
walk-offs

1. tampa bay 1b-dh c.j. cron homered monday and is 8-for-24 during his six-game hitting streak.

2. texas ss jurickson profar went through concussion protocol following a collision with smith at second base and will be evaluated tuesday.

3. rays 3b matt duffy left monday's game with right hamstring tightness and is considered day-to-day.

prediction: rays 5, rangers 2

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 04-17-2018, 09:10 AM

Cleveland Indians vs. Minnesota Twins Preview and Predictions 04-17-2018

16th April 2018 by Gracenote
the cleveland indians and minnesota twins will be well-rested when they meet tuesday night to open a two-game series at hiram bithorn stadium in san juan, puerto rico. the twins have not played since thursday because of a snowstorm in minneapolis and hope to extend their winning streak to four while cleveland was rained out saturday and sunday after winning five of six contests.

outfielder eddie rosario and wednesday's scheduled starting pitcher jose berrios will play in front of their native country's fans this week for minnesota, which is considered the home team on the scoreboard. shortstop francisco lindor, who is 7-for-14 over his last three games, and catcher roberto perez of the indians also expect to get the loudest cheers in their home country. "i don't know how it's going to feel. ... having my nation in my head," perez told the plain dealer. "the whole stadium is going to be packed. fans are going to wear red, white and blue clothing (puerto rico's national colors). it's going to be crazy." two-time cy young winner corey kluber will try to slow down minnesota's brian dozier (11-game hitting streak) and joe mauer (10-game hitting streak) while the twins counter with fellow right-hander jake odorizzi on tuesday.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, fox sports 1
pitching matchup: indians rh corey kluber (1-1, 1.57 era) vs. twins rh jake odorizzi (1-0, 2.20)

kluber boasts three quality starts in three opportunities and produced his best outing last time out april 9 against detroit when he yielded two hits over eight scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts. the 32-year-old alabama native went 0-1 in his first two starts despite surrendering only four runs on nine hits over 15 innings combined while striking out 14 and walking three. mauer is 16-for-49 with two homers versus kluber, who is 8-5 with a 3.31 era in 19 career starts against minnesota.
odorizzi earned his first victory with the twins last time out april 10 against houston when he gave up one run on five hits and five walks over six innings. the 28-year-old illinois native has limited opponents to a .207 batting average in his first three starts with 13 strikeouts over 16 1/3 innings, but has struggled with command while issuing 10 walks. edwin encarnacion is 5-for-30 but has a pair of homers against odorizzi, who is 1-1 with a 3.93 era in four lifetime starts versus cleveland.
walk-offs

1. cleveland 3b jose ramirez is 6-for-17 with two homers during a five-game hitting streak that followed a 2-for-33 start to the season.

2. mauer, who reached 2,000 career hits in his last game, is 14-for-34 during his season-long streak and needs two walks to reach 900.

3. the indians won 12 of the 19 meetings last year as encarnacion hit six homers and knocked in 18 runs.

prediction: indians 5, twins 1

Tuesday 4-17-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

Tuesday 4-17-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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