Wednesday 5-1-19 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jimmy Boyd

May 01 '19, 7:10 PM in 7h
MLB | Reds vs Mets
Play on: Reds +180 at 5Dimes

1* Free MLB Pick on Cincinnati Reds +180
This is just too good a price to pass up on the Reds, as the Mets are simply overpriced with reigning Cy Young winner, Jacob deGrom, on the mound. It's not been a great start to 2019 for deGrom, who has already made a trip to the DL with a sore elbow. He's 0-3 with a 9.69 ERA and 2.000 WHIP in his last 3 starts. He's given up 5 home runs and walked 8 during this stretch.
Chances are deGrom will turn things around and be an elite starter by the end of the season. I just think there's a good chance the struggles will continue a little longer and who knows if that elbow continues to be a problem.
You also have to factor in the Mets as a team have really fallen off. After starting the season 9-4, New York has gone a mere 6-10 over their last 16.
Cincinnati just 12-17 overall, but are 11-9 in their last 20 (started out 1-8). Reds will have a red-hot Anthony Desclafani on the mound, as he brings in a 2.81 ERA and 1.125 WHIP over his last 3 starts. Take Cincinnati!

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Ben Burns

May 01 '19, 7:10 PM in 7h
MLB | CLE vs MIA
Play on: UNDER 6½ -110

While yesterday's game produced 11 runs, we may not even see half that many here. Kluber has said his mechanics have felt "out of whack" so far this season. However, he claims that he felt better with his delivery in his last start. Facing a Miami team which averages an MLB worst 2.8 runs per game figures to help. With only 3.8 runs per game, second worst in the A.L. the Indians' offense hasn't been much better. They'll face red hot Caleb Smith, who has allowed just two runs over his last 18 innings. That's good for a 1.00 ERA. According to StatCast, Smith's hard contact rate (21.5 %) ranks among the best six percent in baseball. In other words, its hard to hit the ball hard against this guy. The 'Under' is 11-7-1 when the Marlins were listed as underdogs in the +100 to +150 range. Expect another well-pitched affair and consider the Under.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bobby Conn

May 01 '19, 9:45 PM in 10h
MLB | Dodgers vs Giants
Play on: Dodgers -143 at 5Dimes

1* Free Play on Dodgers -143

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dwayne Connors

After dispatching the Thunder in 5 games, the Portland Trail Blazers came into Monday's opening game of their semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets as the rested team, but that did not matter, as Portland played a sloppy game - 18 total turnovers that led to 23 points for the host Nuggets - and the Nuggets were able to both win and cover on Monday, 121-113.


Denver did not let down after being stretched to the maximum 7 games against San Antonio in their opening round series, as the Nuggets nearly squandered a 17-point lead in Game Seven, but were able to hold on for the 90-86 win some 48 hours earlier.


I think tonight comes the letdown for the Nuggets!


Denver went 37-4 at home during the regular season, and have now won their last 4 at the Pepsi Center after a Game One loss to the Spurs in the opening round, and yet the line for this game opened a point lower (-3 1/2 to -4 1/2) for tonight's second game?!?!


I went with the Nuggets on Monday, but a lot of that was based on my doubts about the health of Enes Kanter who is dealing with a separated shoulder. Any doubts were quickly erased, as Kanter scored 26 points, which tailed only Damian Lilliard on the Portland side, as Dame scored 39 points in the 8 point setback.


Nikola Jokic does not look as though he can be stopped! Jokic was on the floor for a 37 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists performance as he keeps proving to be a matchup that teams simply do not have an answer for.


I expect Jokic to get his usual numbers, but I also expect Lilliard to have a better game now that the competitive juices are once again flowing. Lilliard did lead all scorers with his 39 points, but he also turned the ball over 6 times, and missed 8 of his 12 attempts from behind the arc!


Must respect the Nuggets on their home floor with that 41-5 mark, but I have a feeling that tonight they have a little bit of a letdown as this is still a youthful team that may well not know how to handle success.


Play Portland.

2* PORTLAND

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bob Valentino

For Wednesday, going to take the surging Cubs over the sliding Mariners as these teams conclude their brief 2 game interleague meeting in King County.

Chicago was a 6-5 winner last night in the opener, as the Cubbies have now won 3 in a row, and 12 of their last 16 games overall. Meanwhile, Seattle's loss last night dropped the Mariners to just 5-12 after their blistering 13-2 start to the season. The M's have lost 9 of their last 11 at home, and are on a 5-17 slide their last 22 games played versus the National League.

Jon Lester makes his second start since coming off the disabled list since getting sidelined with a hamstring injury. The southpaw stands at 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA in his 19 innings of work this season.

Marco Gonzales has been Seattle's "stopper", as he enters this game having won ALL 5 of his decisions this season. Gonzales has allowed 3 earned runs or less in ALL 7 of this starts this season, and he will be facing the Cubs for the first time since breaking into the big leagues with St. Louis back in 2014 when he defeated Chicago for his first major league victory.

No doubt that Gonzales has been the savior of the staff thus far for the M's, but this skid they are currently mired in is troubling to say the least.

Look for the Cubs to leave the Emerald City with the 2 game sweep, as they find a way to continue their winning ways at the expense of the slumping Mariners.

3* CUBS

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tony Weston

My free winner is on the Under with the St. Louis Blues, who took a 2-1 series lead over the Dallas Stars, two nights back. And in doing so nabbed home-ice advantage in their series. The Stars were in the same predicament in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, going into Game 4 at home.

Dallas came back against Nashville with three straight wins to steal the series in six games. The Blues know the Stars know how to respond, and it's going to take another stellar effort from goaltender Jordan Binnington to help his team move to 3-1 when returning to St. Louis for Game 5.

For me, looking at this series on the whole, it's been uncharacteristically high-scoring affair, particularly at full-strength.

We've seen the Stars excel on special teams - they scored a power play goal and a short-hander in Game 3 - but St. Louis outscored them 4-1 in 5-5 situations on Monday night and has a 7-3 advantage in the series at full strength.

Dallas goalie Ben Bishop is a Vezina Trophy candidate for next month's NHL Awards, and has to get better between the pipes to keep the pressure off the Stars' forwards. Mostly for his play against the Nashville Predators in the opening round, Bishop ranks second in the postseason with a .931 save percentage and ranks fifth with a 2.26 goals-against average. The 32-year-old finished the regular season first in the NHL with a franchise record .934 save percentage, while he ranked second in the league with a 1.98 goals against average and third in shutouts with seven - all marking new career highs.

The scoring progression has been 5 in Game 1, 6 in Game 2 and 7 in Game 3. Don't expect 8 in Game 4, look for them to go to the start and get 4, maybe.

Play this one Under.

2* UNDER Stars-Blues