Wednesday 5-15-19 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Tony Weston

COMPLIMENTARY WINNER

My free play for Wednesday is on the Under in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final between the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues.

With St. Louis changing its defensive strategy in Game 2, it was able to steal home ice. Now the Blues come home with the momentum and motivation, not to mention Jordan Binnington in net, and San Jose will find things tough offensively.

At the other end, guys like Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic won't be to kind, especially in the neutral zone, as I expect them to limit the space for the Blues forwards, much like we saw them do when they needed to silence the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche in the first two rounds.

Goaltender Martin Jones has to have a big game for San Jose in this very pivotal game.

Look for this one to stay low.


5* UNDER Blues-Sharks

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Chris Jordan

Remember when the Sharks and Blues were tied 1-1 in the 2016 Western Conference Final? San Jose won Game 3 at home, and went on to win in six games. The Blues would like to return that favor. I don't think it happens.

San Jose is 11-7 when a series is tied 1-1 (.611), including a perfect 6-0 series record when splitting the first two games at home. On the flipside, St. Louis is 12-19 in 31 previous best-of-seven series that were tied 1-1 (.387), including a 4-8 mark when starting on the road.

San Jose will get some offensive support for Sharks forward Logan Couture, who leads the League with 13 goals and 19 points in the playoffs. He's scored twice in both games of the Western Conference Final. Joe Pavelski is back, and that is a plus, and when you mix in guys like Tomas Hertl, Evander Kane, Jumbo Joe, Kevin Labanc, this is a dangerous team.

The defensemen will also make a difference in this one, as Erik Karlsson's offensive skills from the blueline is tremendous, Brent Burns' slapshot is deadly and Marc-Edouard Vlasic can strike at any time.

Sharks steal back home ice tonight.

3* SHARKS

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bob Valentino

Wednesday's comp play is the Rays on the Run Line to take care of business again versus the Marlins.

Miami is just not a good team!

The Marlins were blanked 4-0 yesterday by the Rays, as Miami has not lost 30 of their 40 games played already this season.

The Rays need to keep getting healthy at the Marlins expense, as Tampa did drop 2 of their previous 3 at home to the Yankees and their lead in the A.L. East has shrunk with both the Yanks and the Red Sox now in hot pursuit.

Ryne Stanek is slated to "open" this game for Tampa Bay, and while he is 0-1, his ERA of 2.57 tells me that the Marlins won't be opening this game with a rally at the dish.

The Rays have won 7 of the 10 games that Stanek has started this season, while the Marlins are just 1-7 when Jose Urena makes the start this year.

Urena is only 1-5 this year, and his ERA is 4.58.

This one is a no brainer to me!

Side with Tampa for another 2 runs or better win over Miami.

5* TAMPA BAY -1 1/2 RUNS

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jack Brayman

I'm on a 13-6 run with free plays and tonight I look to make it 14 of 20.

I like the Boston Red Sox to pounce on the Colorado Rockies. The Rox snuck a 5-4 win last night from the Crimson Hose, and tonight the defending World Series champions will be out for revenge.

Though pitchers are automatically listed when making Run Line wagers, I am insisting you DO NOT worry about who the scheduled starters are. In the event of a scratch, you MUST re-wager the game with the new pitcher(s) who are scheduled. This play will stand no matter who pitches for either team.

After all, we saw Chris Sale dominate hitters, while the Rockies ended up striking out 24 times. And they still won the game. So I don't care about the pitchers as much as I do the Red Sox bouncing back with one of the best lineups in baseball.

The Red Sox had won 11 of 13 prior to last night's loss, and we've seen the emergence of J.D. Martinez, who has four home runs in his last six games following a 15-game drought. Rafael Devers has eight RBIs in his last four contests.

Over their last 10 games, Boston has won eight behind a .281 batting average, and has outscored teams by 51 runs. In that span, Devers is 19-for-45 with four doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs for Boston.

Look for the Red Sox to bounce back with a huge win tonight.

5* RED SOX RUN LINE