Parlays

The Athletics will take on the New York Mets for the second game of their series. In game 1, the Athletics shut out the Mets and won by a score of 4-0. The Athletics have now won 4 of their last 5 games while allowing only 2 runs through their last 3 games. On the mound for the Athletics will be Jacob Lopez. Lopez has pitched 8.1 innings giving up 9 hits and 6 earned runs. The issue for Lopez is that he has walked 10 batters through those 2 starts. This can be a problem against a Mets team that is batting .243 this season with 111 hits. Outside of Lopez, the Athletics bullpen has already allowed 56 hits, 26 runs, and 27 walks. It could be a long day for the Athletics pitchers.

For the Mets, they have been in a scoring slump with only 3 runs through their last 3 games. Even with these poor numbers, they have better hitting statistics than the Athletics on the season. Starting for the Mets will be Kodai Senga. Senga has pitched 11.2 innings giving up 9 hits and 4 earned runs. Senga will look for another strong start against an Athletics team that is batting .227 on the season. Looking at the Mets bullpen, they have allowed 48 hits this season with only 17 earned runs. Overall, the Mets seem to have the advantage across the board, and I do not trust the pitching for the Athletics. I am taking the Mets on the run line.

Athletics vs. Mets Prediction: Mets -1.5 (+140) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Cleveland Guardians will look to bounce back on Saturday afternoon as they try to slow down a red-hot Atlanta Braves offense that erupted for 11 runs on 15 hits in Friday’s win. Atlanta has been one of the hottest teams at the plate over the past week, hitting .261 and averaging 5.7 runs per game over their last six. Cleveland hasn’t been far behind in terms of average (.242), but they’ve been less productive overall, putting up just 4.2 runs per game in that same stretch. 

Taking the mound for Cleveland will be the lefty Parker Messick who enters with a 1-0 record and a 0.82 ERA through two starts. For the Braves, they’ll send Martin Perez to the mound who enters at 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA. Perez is coming off a rough start against the Diamondbacks where he allowed four runs on five hits through five innings pitched. The Guardians have a slight edge with Messick on the mound, but both starters need to be careful as both teams have hit lefties well this season. The Braves are batting .270 with four home runs and 20 RBIs against lefties while the Guardians are hitting .254 with two home runs and 15 RBIs. Where this game really separates is in the bullpen. Cleveland has struggled in that department, posting a 4.65 ERA, while Atlanta has been dominant with a league-best 1.30 bullpen ERA. Even if Perez runs into trouble early, the Braves have the depth behind him to shut things down and give their offense a chance to win it. With the Braves offenses continuing to roll and a significant edge out of the bullpen, look for Atlanta to pick up another win.

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

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to show why they’re the most dangerous lineup in baseball, putting up eight runs on 15 hits against a strong Rangers pitching staff in their last outing. What makes this team so difficult to contain is their depth – there’s no safe spot in the lineup, as production can come from anywhere. Los Angeles leads the league in batting average (.297) and is averaging 6.4 runs per game. As for the Rangers, they’re hitting .236 as a team and scoring 3.9 runs per game. 

Emmet Sheehan will get the nod for the Dodgers who is 1-0 with a 8.00 ERA this season. Sheenhan has given up four runs in both of his starts this season and he’ll need to find a way to limit the damage against the Rangers, but even if he does struggle early on, the Dodgers have a well-rested bullpen to take over. For the Rangers, they’ll send Jack Leiter to the mound who is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA. However, those performances came against weaker offenses, and facing this Dodgers lineup is a completely different challenge. Los Angeles has already shown they can break through against this pitching staff, hanging five runs on a bullpen that had allowed just eight total runs prior to that game. I’m expecting Texas to capitalize on Sheehan’s struggles this season, and the Dodgers should be able to do what they do best, and that’s score runs to help push this game over. While the Dodgers may win, I feel more confident in both teams being able to score enough runs to push this game over. 

Rangers vs Dodgers prediction: Over 8.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Detroit Red Wings continue to fight for their playoff lives when they host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena. The Red Wings have struggled mightily down the stretch, but they put together a much-needed well-rounded performance on Thursday night in a 6-3 win over the Flyers. Needing to essentially win out and hope for the Senators to stumble, Detroit should come out with plenty of urgency in this one. Dylan Larkin continues to lead the way with his strong 200-foot game, and Patrick Kane is in the middle of a hot streak with 14 points on 4 goals and 10 assists over his last 8 games.

New Jersey enters this contest officially eliminated from playoff contention. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games and have been out-scored 10-3 over their last 2 contests. The Devils are a tough team to trust given their goal-scoring struggles, as they currently rank 27th in the NHL scoring just 2.75 goals per game. They’ve now gone 4 straight games without a power play goal, while the Detroit power play has converted on 4 of its last 5 opportunities. Playing their last home game of the regular season, the Red Wings should be able to have a strong night against the directionless Devils. Take confidence in Detroit finding the win column.

Devils vs Red Wings prediction: Red Wings ML (-140) available at time of publishing. Playable to -150.

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The Dallas Stars will be hosting the New York Rangers on Saturday in their third-last regular season game. The Rangers are eliminated from the playoffs, and the first-round playoff matchup is already determined for the Stars. With a win, the Stars can secure second place in the Central Division, and lock up home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Stars are very good on home ice, they have a 25-11-4 record at the American Airlines Center. They are the second-best defensive team in the league, averaging 2.71 goals against per game. I expect they will be able to shut down the lack lustre offense of the Rangers that averages only 2.90 goals per game.

Securing home ice advantage against the Minnesota Wild is crucial as that will be a very tight series and they will want every advantage they can get. The Rangers have long been eliminated from playoff contention, and have nothing left to play for. Give me the Stars in this one.

Rangers vs. Stars prediction: Stars ML (-200) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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It will be a crucial contest for playoff positioning in both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference when the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. Philadelphia currently occupies the final wild-card spot in the East with just a 1-point cushion over the Islanders. A 3-game winning streak has kept Winnipeg alive in the West, but it still probably has to win out in order to have a chance. A playoff atmosphere can be expected north of the border on Friday, and so can a playoff effort. That generally means a serious commitment to defense and elite goaltending with both teams’ #1 starters in the net. As such, my Flyers vs Jets prediction is Under 5.5.

Team USA Winter Olympics goaltending hero Connor Hellebuyck is heating up just in time to potentially save the Jets’ season. He has has allowed just 5 goals during his team’s 3-game surge. Hellebuyck previously faced Philadelphia in October and surrendered only 2 goals. The Flyers are countering with Dan Vladar. Although the 28-year-old Czech got roughed up a bit by Detroit on Thursday, that was clearly an aberration as opposed to the rule. Vladar had previously given up 1 goal in each of his 3 previous starts. He is 27-14-7 this season with a 2.47 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. It’s hard to see either offense doing a whole lot of damage in this borderline must-win matchup for both teams, so I’m rolling with the under.

Flyers vs Jets prediction: Under 5.5 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable to -115.

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