For this edition, we look into the betting odds for the U.S. Open in golf and the men’s College World Series. Of course, we have free picks and top trends to help you along with thoughts on the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals. And as always, we have news from last night. Enjoy!
About Last Night…
MLB
Pirates vs. Cardinals
Miles Mikolas of St. Louis needed one more strike to post the Cardinals’ first no-hitter in 21 years. With a 2-2 count on Pittsburgh’s Cal Mitchell, he hit the ball over the Cards centerfielder Harrison Bader’s head for a ground-rule double.
“I’m a little over it. I mean it stinks, to get that close and then kind of come up empty-handed,” Mikolas said. “That’s a great outing. I’ll be real proud that I gave the bullpen kind of another night off. I know we need it with the doubleheader. I’m happy — but deep down it kind of stinks.”
Redbirds backers picked up two wins Tuesday and Pirates have now lost nine in a row and each loss has not covered the run line either.
Angels vs. Dodgers
If you had the Dodgers on the run line last night, you probably didn’t fall asleep easily last night despite winning your baseball bet.
The Dodgers pushed across a run in the 8th inning to take a 2-0 lead. In came supposed closer Craig “nothing but trouble” Kimbrel. After getting one out, Kimbrel conceded a single, double, and a walk, loading the bases.
With the Dodgers all but positioned to lose the game, Kimbrel fanned the last two Angels’ batters to secure the win and the save. It’s hard to sleep when your body is twitching. Credit to Kimbrel, the game was stopped after a Mike Trout single that broke his bat and hit the umpire.
Braves vs. Nationals
The Braves are a bettor’s best friend these days, winning their 13th straight contest in whipping Washington 10-4.
Atlanta has hit 32 home runs in this period, which is the third-most for any MLB win streak.
Trendy Talk
MLB
- The Baltimore Orioles are 3-36 after a five-game span where the bullpen ERA was 7.00 or higher.
- The San Diego Padres are 12-1 a dive game span with an OBP of .285 or lower this season.
- The Detroit Tigers are 16-3 under when the total is 8.5 to 10 this season.
- The Philadelphia Phillies are 11-1 over vs. a team with a bullpen whose ERA is 4.20 or worse.
- Kyle Gibson and the Phillies are 16-4 in home games since last season.
NBA
- The Boston Celtics are 11-2 ATS after failing to cover the spread in two or more consecutive games this season. (Thursday)
- The Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics are 19-7 under in their latest meetings. (Thursday)
NHL
- The Tampa Bay Lightning are 40-13 revenging a loss the last two seasons.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning are 13-4 under revenging two straight losses where the opponent scored three or more goals.
- The Colorado Avalanche are 13-2 at home when playing against a team with a win percentage of 60% to 75% this season.
WNBA
- The Connecticut Sun are 7-0 ATS after a game allowing a shooting percentage of 50% or higher since 2020.
- The Dallas Wings are 9-1 over after covering three of their last four against the spread.
- The Phoenix Mercury are 15-4 ATS after two straight games with 20 or more assists.
BMR’s Betting Pulse
MLB
The fascinating Rays at Yankees series continues the next two days with excellent starting pitching matchups. Can the Yankees be stopped? The other top club in New York has two contests remaining with Milwaukee visiting the Mets and we will break those down.
NHL
The Stanley Cup Finals commence tonight and Colorado is the home favorite. Do they take care of business or will the two-time champs Tampa Bay engineer the upset?
NBA
It is Game 6 in the NBA Finals and Boston has to win at home to force a Game 7. Can the Celtics cover spread Thursday?
Golf
The third golf major is this week with the U.S. Open from Brookline C.C. near Boston. Who should bettors be looking at?
WNBA
There are three games on the Hump Day docket. Here is what you need to know about Phoenix at Indiana.
The Buzz
NHL
The Stanley Cup Finals sets up as great theater. Tampa Bay is attempting to become the fourth team ever to win three straight Cups and the first team since 1982-83 (The New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83). Colorado is back in the Finals for the first time since 2001 with sensational speed and scoring depth.
The Avalanche have not faced a defense or top goaltender in the playoffs like Tampa Bay and the Lightning have the advantage in this series in both areas. For hockey picks, it seems there is money to make in the first four encounters backing the road team.
College World Series
The action for the College World Series will start Friday at 2:00 pm ET and be on various ESPN networks. Here are the latest betting odds from BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review) for who could be champions.
- Texas +450
- Arkansas +450
- Stanford +450
- Texas A&M +500
- Notre Dame +550
- Auburn +700
- Ole Miss +800
- Oklahoma +900
We told you on Monday with No. 1 Tennessee out, the tournament is wide open and the odds certainly back that up.
Golf
The U.S Open has a stacked field as expected and Brookline Country Club is a great old golf course that should be a real challenge starting Thursday. Here are the current favorites to win.
- Rory McIlroy +1000
- Justin Thomas +1200
- Scottie Scheffler +1400
- Jon Rahm +1600
- Cameron Smith +2000
- Sam Burns +2200
- Will Zalatoris +2200
- Xander Schauffele +2200
- Jordan Spieth +2500
- Patrick Cantlay +2500
With this writer having been in the golf business and a bettor for decades and later a writer about the sport, I’ve never seen a top 10 upheaval like I did Tuesday with players rising and falling with changing odds.
Out the Door
MLB
From Stats Inc., Tuesday saw 12 different MLB starting pitchers throw 5.0+ innings without allowing an earned run. That’s the most such starts on any single day in the live-ball era (since 1920).
NBA
Boston had no fire in Game 5 except for the third quarter on Monday night. One would think the Celtics should be more than stoked for Game 6 as a four-point favorite. Yet, with Steph Curry having seen his long string of three-pointers made in consecutive games end, his motivation will be high as well. Seems like a tough call against the NBA odds.
Who Is Right?
Over 90 percent of the money and wagers have the A’s/Red Sox game as an over. So why has the opening line of 9.5 remained the same?
In Denver, the Guardians/Rockies encounter has more than 90% of the money on the over, with bets placed in the mid-50s for an under outcome. Who’s right?
Let’s get some winners and see you back here Friday.
Calculators
