Friday 8/28/20 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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FRI 28 AUG, 2020, 10:00 PM (EDT)
Avalanche vs Stars 8/28/20 - NHL

The Colorado Avalanche look to even their NHL Western Conference semifinals best-of-seven series when playing Game 4 on Friday against the Dallas Stars. Colorado narrowed the Dallas lead in the series to 2-1 following a 6-4 victory in Game 3 on Wednesday. Nazem Kadri scored with just over six minutes to play in the third period to put Colorado ahead for good. Both teams scored three goals during a high-scoring final period.

Center Nathan MacKinnon is leading Colorado in goals scored with seven, assists with 13 and points with 20 during the postseason. Mikko Rantanen is second in points at 15 with five goals and 10 assists. Gabriel Landeskog has a team-high 12 minutes in penalties. In goal, Pavel Francouz is 2-3 with a goals against average of 2.69 and save percentage of .908.

Dallas looks to extend its lead in the series to 3-1 and put Colorado on the brink of elimination with a victory in Game 4 on Friday. Scoring for Dallas in the loss on Wednesday were Tyler Seguin, Dennis Gurianov, Blake Comeau and Jamie Benn. Anton Khudobin made 26 saves in net. The Stars trailed 3-1 after two periods and could not make up the difference in the third even though they scored three times.

Center Joe Pavelski is leading Dallas in goals scored with seven during the postseason. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen is the assist leader with 12 and points leader with 15. Mattias Janmark has a team-high 14 minutes in penalties. In goal, Anton Khudobin is 6-4 with a goals against average of 2.75 and save percentage of .913.

Recent Betting Trends

Colorado is 8-4 in its last 12
The OVER has cashed in each of the Avalanche’s last 6
Dallas is 5-1 in its last 6
The OVER has cashed in 5 of the Stars last 6

Free NHL Pick: Over 5.5

Dallas will bounce back with a victory in Game 4, but the play here is OVER. The OVER has cashed in each of the first three games of this series with the two combining to score 25 goals. The OVER has cashed in each of Colorado’s last six and in five of the Stars last six. Final Score Prediction, Dallas Stars win but our best play is OVER 4-3.

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FRI 28 AUG, 2020, 7:30 PM (EDT)
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins 8/28/20 - NHL

The Tampa Bay Lightning play Game 4 of their NHL Eastern Conference semifinals best-of-seven series on Friday against the Boston Bruins. Tampa Bay leads the series 2-1 following a 7-1 victory in Game 3 on Wednesday. Alex Killorn, Mikhail Sergachez and Ondrej Palat each scored goals on the power play for Tampa Bay in the 6-goal rout of the Bruins.

During the postseason, center Brayden Points is the leader in goals scored with six and in points with 15. Right winger Nikita Kucherov is the leader in assists with 10. Blake Coleman has a team-high 21 minutes in penalties. In goal, Andrei Vasilevskiy is 8-3 with a goals against average of 2.06 and a .924 save percentage.

Boston must bounce back with a victory in Game 4 or be put on the brink of elimination by Tampa Bay. Brad Marchand scored the only goal of the game for Boston on a power play early in the second period. However, at that time the Bruins were already behind 3-0. Starting goalie Jaroslav Halak was replaced by Dan Vlader, who is just 23 and was making his playoff debut in the NHL. Halak made 12 saves before being replaced.

Left winger Brad Marchand is leading Boston in goals scored with seven and in points with 12. Center David Kregci is the leader in assists with seven. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy has a team-high 24 minutes in penalties. In goal, Jaroslav Halak is 4-3 with a goals against average of 2.91 and a save percentage of .903.

Recent Betting Trends

Tampa Bay in 5-1 in its last 6
The UNDER has cashed in 8 of the Lightning’s last 12
Boston is 4-2 in its last 6
The UNDER has cashed in 11 of the Bruins last 16

Free NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -115

Boston faces a must-win situation in Game 4 as the Bruins cannot afford to trail 3-1 against such a tough opponent like Tampa Bay. However, Boston has lost its No. 1 goaltender Tuukka Rask who opted out of the season and backup Jaroslav Halak has not played well in net as evidenced by a 2.91 goals against average during the postseason. Tampa Bay has dominated this matchup winning 13 of the last 16. Final Score Prediction, Tampa Bay Lightning wins 5-3.

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FRI 28 AUG, 2020, 8:00 PM (EDT)
Connecticut Sun vs LA Sparks 8/28/20 - WNBA

The Sparks are one team that has been playing great in the game so far. The Los Angeles game on Wednesday night was postponed. However, the Sparks are coming to the game here with a 10-3 record overall. The last game on the year for the Sparks was an 84-81 win over Dallas.

Candace Parker is the leader for the scoring for the Sparks. She has put in a total of14 points a game on 47.3% shooting from the field. Paker does lead the Sparks in rebounding as well with 9.8 boards per game for the Sparks.

With the Sun their game against Phoenix was postponed as well. However, the Sun are coming into the game here with a 6-8 record overall. In their last game the Connecticut club managed to get a win over the New York Liberty by a score of 82-65.

DeWanna Bonner is the leading scorer for the Sun on the year. She has put in a total of 18 points a game, but has ended up shooting at a clip of 41.2% of the year. The rebounding for the Sun has been handled by Alyssa Thomas. Thomas has ended up getting 8.9 boards a game on the year.

Free WNBA Pick: Los Angeles Sparks -3

Coming to the court here the Sun are really relying quite heavily on Bonner to carry the offense. However, the offense for the Sparks is fairly well spread out and that will definitely help them in keeping the Sun defense off balance. Look for the Sparks to continue to play great in the game without relying on any single player offensively and that allows the Sparks to lock down the win. Final Score Prediction, Los Angeles Sparks win 84-78.

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FRI 28 AUG, 2020, 7:00 PM (EDT)
Atlanta Dream vs. Minnesota Lynx 8/28/20 - WNBA

The WNBA took the last two nights off in protest of the Kenosha shooting but is expected to play on Friday, be sure to check for the latest updates on that situation. The Lynx fell their last timeout 78-75 to the Atlanta Dream, snapping a three-game winning streak and falling to 9-4 on the season. The Dream had lost ten straight games before the win over the Lynx and look to string together back to back wins.

The Lynx comes in averaging 81.5 points per game ranking 8th in scoring offense in the WNBA while shooting 44.5% from the field. The Lynx are led by frontcourt star Napheesa Collier who leads the team in scoring with 15.8 points per game while adding 8.7 rebounds per game, to rank second on the team. Slyvia Fowles was second in all of the WNBA in rebounding averaging 9.7 rebounds per game while contributing 14.6 points per game before going down with a calf injury.

The Dream comes in averaging 80.2 points per game ranking 10th/12 in scoring offense but ranks 6th in team shooting percentage at 44.7%. Leading the Dream is Betnijah Laney who is leading the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game while also contributing a team-high 4.5 assists per game. Laney is shooting an impressive 40% from beyond the arc on the season.

The Dream have the worst defensive unit in the WNBA this season allowing 90.9 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot 47% from the field and 39.1% from the beyond the arc; ranking last in all three categories. Minnesota comes in allowing 76.4 points per game to rank 2nd in scoring defense and has held opponents to 42.7% from the field.

Recent Betting Trends

Atlanta is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Atlanta is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games
Minnesota is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games

Free WNBA Pick: Minnesota Lynx -7

The Dream pulled off the big upset over the Lynx their last time out but after a few days off bounced back in this game. Minnesota mustered just 75 points in the loss and shot a dismal 24% from beyond the arc, well below their season average of 36.5% from downtown. The Dream got their win and now it is time for the Lynx to pull off the revenge game with a win here. Missing Fowles will hurt but Napheesa Collier and Crystal Dangerfield pick up the slack in her absence. The Dream can’t pull of the upset twice in a row and the Lynx lockdown the struggling Dream offense. Final score prediction, Minnesota Lynx win and cover ATS 86-71.

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FRI, AUG 28TH - 7:10PM ET:
CHICAGO CUBS @ CINCINNATI REDS PICKS, EXPERT PREDICTIONS & BETTING TIPS

CHI Cubs Win Money Line
Money Line Pick

The Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs will get a four-game series started when they square off on Friday in Cincinnati. This marks the second series of the season between the two National League Central rivals, with Chicago having taken two of three on the road back in late July. The Cubs have since continued to win their faire share of games (18-12 for the year), while the Reds were reeling at 11-17 heading onto Thursday’s double-header against Milwaukee. That’s right; the Reds had two games on the schedule just a day ago and have no days off prior to this one. It will be a quick turnaround for a lineup that is going up against Chicago right-hander Kyle Hendricks on Friday. Hendricks is 3-3 with a solid 3.55 ERA and an amazing strikeout-to-walk ratio of 28-to-4. Cincinnati is countering with right-hander Tyler Mahle (0-1, 4.41 ERA). In his first start of 2020, Mahle worked 4.0 innings against the Cubs and surrendered two runs on six hits. Last year he compiled a 5.73 ERA against them in 11.0 innings. Go with Hendricks and the Cubs.


Over Under Pick
The total had not been posted as of late Thursday night. Check back later.

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FRI, AUG 28TH - 8:15PM ET:
CLEVELAND INDIANS @ ST. LOUIS CARDINALS PICKS, EXPERT PREDICTIONS & BETTING TIPS

CLE Indians Win Money Line

Under Game Totals

Money Line Pick
The Indians won back to back games against the Twins at home and now hit the road in St. Louis. They have actually been better on the road this season with a 10-5 record. They are still waiting for their best player to start hitting but in the meantime, they have been pitching as well as any team. The starting pitching depth of Cleveland has to be the envy of every club. They just introduced Triston McKenzie to the Majors and all he did was strikeout 10 Tigers while giving up just a couple of hits in his debut. He is an exciting prospect. St. Louis has been hanging in there but they ave been playing a lot of ball in a condensed period of time. Their .500 record heading into Thursday has them second in the division but they are missing a number of pitchers that are going to make it hard to compete throughout the season. Daniel Ponce De Leon has not been effective this season and is looking to get back to a full pitch count. With the Indians having the extra advantage of being off on Thursday this does not look like a good spot for the home team.


Take Cleveland.


Over Under Pick
The Indians are one of the most hapless offensive teams in the league this season. At their peak, they are probably only above average but we just haven’t seen it this season. With McKenzie he is so new to the scene that it is difficult to see what is next. Everything we have seen we like though. I am not expecting Ponce De Leon to be anything close to dominant but a low scoring game seems the most likely.


Take the under.

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FRI, AUG 28TH - 8:40PM ET:
SAN DIEGO PADRES @ COLORADO ROCKIES PICKS, EXPERT PREDICTIONS & BETTING TIPS

COL Rockies Win Money Line

Over Game Totals

Money Line Pick
This is an interesting and important series for both teams. For San Diego they can put some distance between them and the Rox and the home side can reel them in. San Diego surprisingly lost two in their recent series at Seattle but those were their only two losses in their last 10 games. They are bringing an offense that is second on homers and second in runs scored to Coors Field. Chris Paddack will have to pitch better though. From a good start, he has been erratic. Most concerning of all he has given up eight homers in his last four starts. San Diego has lost three of them. Colorado is looking to get back to when they were hitting and pitching well and winning a lot of ballgames. They had an off day after sweeping at Arizona so they should be in good shape but they are under .500 at home this season. Antonio Senzatela leads the Rockies in wins but he gives up a lot of hard contact. This might not be a great matchup for him. I am worried about Paddack though so I am leaning to the home team.


Take Colorado.


Over Under Pick
Paddack has been giving up homers like crazy and Coors is a haven for the long ball. At the same time the Padres are second in the Majors in homers and runs scored and Senzatela is not exactly going to shut that down at home either. This game screams over but I am sure the oddsmakers are going to make us work for it. I still like it a lot. Looking for each team to get at least 6 runs.


Take the over.

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FRI, AUG 28TH - 9:10PM ET:
OAKLAND ATHLETICS @ HOUSTON ASTROS PICKS, EXPERT PREDICTIONS & BETTING TIPS

OAK Athletics Win Money Line

Over Game Totals

Money Line Pick
Oakland has built a solid lead in the AL West but if they stumble this weekend things will get pretty tight. If you look closely, as good as Oakland’s record is they have been feasting on bad teams, I think they have only played five games against teams over .500 so far. That might explain why they have been able to get away with not really hitting that well. That may have to change this weekend. Chris Bassitt is getting the ball to start the series and he has been super steady this season. After a rough start. Houston has played themselves back into the field. Their pitching is still racked with injuries but it is working, just through some unfamiliar faces. I love their lineup even though Alex Bregman is out. They just got Michael Brantley back and they have plenty of offence even though some regulars are not hitting. Lance McCullers Jr is still struggling to get back to the form he showed before he missed a season. As a result, I am leaning Oakland here.


Take the A’s.


Over Under Pick
Both of these teams will be fresh for this one, they were both off on Thursday. A little extra freshness is more likely to help the bats than the arms so I am leaning to the over here. With the way these teams slug it could be an 8-5 game but even 6-4 should cut it. McCullers gets himself in trouble and is prone to the big inning. As long as we get one of those we are good.


Take the over.

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FRI, AUG 28TH - 9:40PM ET:
SEATTLE MARINERS @ LOS ANGELES ANGELS PICKS, EXPERT PREDICTIONS & BETTING TIPS

LA Angels Win Money Line

Over Game Totals

Money Line Pick
The Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners will open a four-game set here. Both teams have been disappointments this season, but I’m rolling with the Angels here. They at least have some momentum entering this one, riding high off a big 12-5 win over the Astros. The Angels also have all the talent necessary and have just been underachieving, while the Mariners are simply playing at their talent level. Angels starter Andrew Heaney has been having a rough year, but he’s had to face some really tough offenses recently. He’s already pitched against this Mariners team twice this season, and both outings went well. Across the two starts he gave up only eight hits and three earned runs. Current Seattle hitters have a lifetime .157 batting average and .496 OPS against him in 63 at bats. Take Los Angeles here, as it’s only a matter of time before they get things figured out.


Over Under Pick
The over also makes a lot of sense here. With guys like Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon, the Angels couldn’t really ask for too much more starpower in their lineup. Young Mariners starter Nick Margevicius has a 6.10 career ERA through 23 appearances and 15 starts, so I don’t think they’ll have too much trouble hitting him. In his most recent start against the Rangers, Margevicius gave up four earned runs. The Angels scored 12 in their most recent game, and that one only went seven innings since it was part of a doubleheader. The Mariners have scored at least six runs in five of their past six games, so this one should be pretty high scoring.

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FRI, AUG 28TH - 9:40PM ET:
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS @ ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS PICKS, EXPERT PREDICTIONS & BETTING TIPS

SF Giants Win Money Line

Over Game Totals

Money Line Pick
Two NL West rivals will kickoff a series here as the Arizona Diamondbacks host the San Francisco Giants. Tyler Anderson will be on the mound for San Francisco, while Luke Weaver takes the hill for the D-Backs. I think there’s value here on the Giants, as oddsmakers continue to overlook them. They’ve been a lot better than anybody expected this season, especially on offense. They’re in the top half of the league in virtually every offensive category, which nobody saw coming. Anderson pitched against this same Arizona team in his last start and absolutely dominated, tossing a complete game shutout. Weaver on the other hand has been mostly terrible this season. The Diamondbacks are lacking pop in their lineup right now, as they rank 26th in the majors in home runs and 24th in OPS. Take San Francisco on the money line.


Over Under Pick
The over also makes a lot of sense in this spot. This Giants offense has been one of the best stories in all of baseball, and they just had an eight-game streak of scoring at least five runs. Guys like Mike Yastrzemski, Wilmer Flores, Evan Longoria, Donovan Solano, and Brandon Belt are all mashing at the moment. Weaver has a 7.77 ERA through six starts, so I think they’ll be able to keep it up here. Anderson was great in his last start but had struggled right before that, giving up nine earned runs over his two previous outings. Both of these teams rank 21st or worse in bullpen ERA, so even if the starters pitch well we should be able to get some runs late.

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FRI, AUG 28TH - 8:00PM ET:
TORONTO FC @ MONTREAL IMPACT PICKS, EXPERT PREDICTIONS & BETTING TIPS (SOCCER)

Over 2.5 Game Totals
-161

Montreal and Toronto just faced off at the MLS is Back Tournament last month in Orlando, with Toronto hanging on for a thrilling 4-3 win. Both teams have only played the Vancouver Whitecaps since the conclusion of the tournament, with Montreal scoring two goals to win and Toronto netting an average of two in each of its two wins. These are two of the higher-scoring teams in the Eastern Conference, with Toronto leading in goals scored and Montreal not far behind in fourth. Both teams possess expensive, deep lineups that many casual European soccer fans will recognize. With goal-scoring prowess at the highest levels of the sport on both sides of the pitch, this feels like it will be another high-scoring game, much like the two sides’ last meeting in Orlando. If you love betting the over and want to take a bigger risk, go for Over 3.5 at 2.55 (+155), but if you’re looking for a surer play and don’t want to sit on the edge of your seat until stoppage time, take Over 2.5, as the two sides will surely combine for at least three.

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MINNESOTA @ DETROIT

MINNESOTA
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit

DETROIT
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Detroit's last 12 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Detroit's last 8 games at home

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NY METS @ NY YANKEES

NY METS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets's last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
NY Mets is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees

NY YANKEES
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Yankees's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Mets
NY Yankees is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 games at home

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BALTIMORE @ TORONTO

BALTIMORE
Baltimore is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Baltimore's last 7 games

TORONTO
Toronto is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Baltimore
Toronto is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games

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ATLANTA @ PHILADELPHIA

ATLANTA
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Philadelphia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home