Andrew Wilsher

The Chicago White Sox will take on the Miami Marlins Tuesday night. In the first meeting between these teams the White Sox got their first win in dominant fashion with a 9-4 victory. In that game, the White Sox were able to accrue 8 hits and 8 earned runs through the first 4 innings. This victory now brings the White Sox score total to 16 runs over the last 2 games. On the mound for the White Sox will be Erick Fedde. Last season was one of Fedde’s worst seasons with a 4-13 record and a 5.49 ERA. He will be looking to rebound from last season with some offensive help from the rest of the team.

For the Marlins, they lost their first game of this series but swept the Colorado Rockies in the series before that. They are currently 3-1 on the season with 26 hits and 14 runs. On the mound for the Marlins will be Janson Junk. Junk has shown slight improvements each year with last year being his best. On the season, he had a 6-4 record with a 4.17 ERA. He has not faced many players in the White Sox lineup so neither side should know what to expect. For the Marlins, they should feel optimistic even though they lost last night because they still combined for 8 total hits. Overall, I do not trust Fedde and the bullpen for the White Sox so I am going with the Marlins on the money line.

White Sox vs Marlins prediction: Marlins ML (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The New York Mets picked up a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals last night and will look to keep the momentum going as they send Kodai Senga to the mound. Senga went 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA last season and looked sharp this spring, striking out 11, allowing six hits and two earned runs in 9.2 innings pitched. For the Cardinals, they’ll counter with Andre Pallante who struggled last season, posting a 6-15 record and a 5.31 ERA, however, he did look solid in spring training, striking out 11 and giving up just four earned runs in 14 innings pitched.

Both offenses have started the season well, with St. Louis ranked 11th in OPS (.747) and the Mets sitting 10th (.751) through their first four games. However, the difference in this matchup comes on the pitching side. The Mets have been excellent on the mound, posting a 2.77 team ERA, backed by a bullpen that holds a strong 2.00 ERA. For the Cardinals, they’ve struggled significantly, carrying a 6.32 team ERA, with their bullpen being a major issue with a 7.94 ERA, which puts them near the bottom of the league. Offensively, Luis Robert, Juan Soto, and Francisco Alvarez have helped lead the way early for New York. As for St. Louis, they have Alec Burleson who is batting .400, Victor Scott and Jordan Walker hitting .385 in their first four games, but this is a much tougher matchup for them against a solid Mets pitching staff. Even on the road, the Mets hold the edge in both starting pitching and bullpen reliability. With Pallante still a question mark and the Cardinals’ bullpen struggling, New York is in a strong position to take control of this game early on tonight against the Cardinals.

Mets vs Cardinals prediction: Mets ML (-165) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Houston Astros defeated the Boston Red Sox Monday night by an 8-1 final score, spoiling Ranger Suarez’s debut with his new club. Houston is now 3-2 on the season and will turn to their ace Tuesday night as he is scheduled to make his 2nd start of the season. Hunter Brown had electric stuff against the Angels in his season opener, striking out 9 batters in just 4.2 innings. Those strikeouts and his 4 walks ate at his pitch count, resulting in an early exit, but Brown was able to keep the Angels scoreless in during his time. Last season Brown posted a 2.43 ERA across 185.1 innings of work, flashing similarly impressive underlying metrics. He also has had success against this Boston lineup in a brief sample.

Brayan Bello is a pitcher I was always fond of in his early years, and the right-hander produced his best professional season last year for the Red Sox. Bello tossed 166.2 innings with a 3.35 ERA, but his underlying numbers do suggest regression. His xFIP, xERA, and FIP are all 0.84 runs higher than his ERA, and he is extremely dependent on ground balls getting him out of jams. In spring training competition Bello was able to garner a higher strikeout rate, but it will be important he continues that in the regular season. Boston does have the more rested bullpen in this matchup, leaving Houston with the larger edge early in the game. Bookmakers agree, however, pricing the first 5 markets more heavily in favor of Houston. I still side with the Astros and will back them through the full game at current pricing.

Astros vs Red Sox prediction: Astros ML (-145) available at time of publishing. Playable to -150 odds.

The Dallas Stars received a big boost last week with the return of Mikko Rantanen to the ice. Rantanen had not played since the Olympic break, and his return makes an already dangerous Stars team even more dangerous. He recorded a 2-point effort with a goal and assist in his first game back, and his strong 200-foot game will serve Dallas well down the stretch of the regular season and into the postseason. The Stars lost 5 of 6 before his return, and have looked much more in sync with Rantanen in the lineup.

When these teams met earlier this season back on January 20, the Stars cruised to a 6-2 victory. They controlled the pace of play and puck possession, and the game was never really in doubt as Dallas held a 4-0 lead after 2 periods. The Stars out-shot Boston 37-28 in that contest, and dominated the face-off dot 39-21. It’s also worth noting that Dallas is among the best defensive teams in the league, as they rank 2nd allowing just 2.69 goals per game. The Bruins might have their hands full in this one. Look for Dallas to pickup a solid road win in this contest.

Stars vs Bruins prediction: Stars ML (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Ottawa Senators will be looking to put an end to their two-game losing streak when they are in Florida on Tuesday night taking on the Panthers. Despite the two-game losing streak, the Senators are still only two points outside of a wildcard playoff spot. With so many teams still in contention for the final few spots, every point is crucial for them. They are facing off against a Panthers team that is eliminated from the race and coming into this game on a three-game losing streak. The Senators have the edge in this game offensively; they are averaging 3.30 goals per game compared to the Panthers who average only 2.89. The Panthers are the third-most penalized team in the NHL, so expect a few powerplay opportunities for the Senators.

The Senators will be playing desperate and I expect a good performance from them starting at puck drop. I think they will take advantage of a Panthers team that is only playing for pride at this point in the season. Give me the Senators in this one.

Senators vs Panthers prediction: Senators ML (-170) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets meet for an ultra-important meeting in the NHL on Tuesday. In their third of four meetings this season, these Metropolitan Division rivals are within a tight playoff race. Carolina is currently gunning for the Eastern Conference lead, while Columbus is battling to secure a playoff spot at all. Here is our Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets expert prediction.

Columbus has been one of the hottest teams over the last month, going 9-1-4 over a 14 game span and collecting 22 of a possible 28 points. However, they have cooled off with a three-game losing streak, and are 1-3-1 over their last five games. While they may be on home ice, this is the toughest team they have faced since the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 10th. They did take on this Hurricanes team on March 17th, but a 5-1 road victory for the Blue Jackets should have Carolina coming out looking for vengeance. Carolina has won four of their last six games, and in a three-way tie for first in the Eastern Conference, there is still lots of work to be done. They are fully healthy and have been an excellent road team (20-11-4), so they are set up well to take down this struggling opponent. For our Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets prediction, we are siding with Carolina on the money line.

Hurricanes vs Blue Jackets prediction: Hurricanes ML (-135) available at time of publishing. Playable to -150.

Phoenix has built its identity on physicality, defense, and controlling games in the half court, but that edge is neutralized in this matchup. The line also confirms it. Orlando not only matches that style, they can elevate it, especially on their home floor. The Magic are one of the more physical teams in the league, with length across positions and a defensive approach that thrives in exactly this type of game environment.

Where this becomes important is in pace and shot quality. Phoenix is most effective when dictating tempo and forcing opponents into tough, late-clock looks. Orlando is comfortable operating under those same conditions, which removes a key advantage the Suns typically hold. Instead of gaining control, Phoenix is likely to be met with equal resistance. At home, the Magic tend to play with more confidence and energy, particularly on the defensive end. That can disrupt Phoenix’s offensive rhythm and turn this into a possession-by-possession battle. In games like this, where both teams play similarly, value often lies with the team better equipped to win in the margins through effort, defense, and physicality. Orlando checks those boxes and, on their floor, can get it done. Spot the bucket.

Suns vs Magic prediction: Magic -2.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable to -3.

The Detroit Pistons put up a great effort last night as they fell in overtime against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That was despite missing Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris. Now they will be up against it on a second night of a back-to-back set as they take on the Toronto Raptors. Fatigue is going to play a factor, especially if those on the injury report are not going to be making a comeback ahead of this one. With a 4-game lead at the top of the conference, this is the stage of the season that the Pistons are unlikely to take any risks with injuries, starting to gear up for the playoffs.

The Raptors have been flowing when it comes to scoring the ball. Over the last 10 games they are 7th in the league in pace. During that same stretch they are also 4th in fast break points per game and top half of the league in pace. That makes them a very dangerous side  for a fatigued opponent. They were able to beat the Pistons in their last meeting despite the Pistons having their star pairing. Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett and both on the injury report but they did combine for 61-points when the sides last met. If they are available, the Raptors should dominate the scoring battle on the wings, especially with Scottie Barnes around to lock down whoever emerges as the leading scorer for the hosts.

Raptors vs Pistons prediction: Raptors ML (+110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

There are a lot of similarities that can be drawn between the Knicks and Rockets. Both have an up and down season, letting us down when we least expect it. This can be said about the last two Knicks games where they lost to the Hornets and Thunder by double-digits both times. Pressure is now on them to respond as the 4th seeded Cavs are only a game away in the East standings. These two teams met about a month ago at MSG, we all still remember that 18-point comeback by the Knicks, fueled by 25 points from Karl-Anthony Towns. A lot will depend on how KAT performs on Tuesday, he has been criticized quite a lot lately for his lack of effort on the defensive end.

Kevin Durant dropped 30 points in that loss at MSG in February, he’s been on a heater in head-to-head meetings averaging 31.3 points per game in the last 10 against the Knicks. But, it’ll take a lot more than a big scoring game from KD in order for the Rockets to get the W here. We’ve see Houston struggle a bit in the rebounding department over their last 3 games, giving up 2.5 more rebounds per game than their season average. For a team that relies so much on that area of play to win games, that is a concern going up against a team with reliable rebounders like KAT and Mitchell Robinson. Houston has been far from a reliable bet lately, they’ve covered the spread only twice in 10 games.

The two wins against sub-par teams in Memphis and New Orleans has masked some of the issues the Rockets have been having lately. New York needs a win against a good team to lighten the mood a bit. They’ve had the Rockets’ number over the years winning 10 of the last 12 meetings, plus they’re the more battle tested team in high pressure situations. I’ll back the Knicks here.

Knicks vs Rockets prediction: Knicks ML (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.