Monday 5-28-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

[Can'tPickAWinner]

BIG AL

Our complimentary selection for Monday, May 28 is:

Miami Marlins (Smith) over SD Padres (Lauer).

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sports Book Edge
Kevin 'Bubba' Smith
'Railside' Harry MLB Expert
#907/8 Mi Marlins/SD Padres Over

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

28th May 2018 by Gracenote
the pittsburgh pirates have followed an 8-1 stretch with two wins in nine games and hope to begin turning around the ship when they host the chicago cubs on monday afternoon for the first of three contests between the national league central rivals. the pirates coughed up a three-run lead before suffering a 6-4 loss to visiting st. louis on sunday and are 2-4 during a stretch of 13 straight games against division opponents.

rookie outfielder austin meadows continues to impress after being recalled, going 15-for-33 with three homers and six rbis in his first nine major-league contests for pittsburgh, which could be without closer felipe vazquez (left forearm discomfort) after he left sunday's game. chad kuhl will try to shake the pirates out of their funk when he takes the mound monday opposite mike montgomery, who makes his first start of the season. chicago rolled to an 8-3 victory over san francisco on sunday to take two of three in the series and starts the week 4 1/2 games behind first-place milwaukee in the nl central. anthony rizzo has hit safely in nine straight games for the cubs, recording 10 rbis during that stretch to push his total to 24 this month - which is second in the majors.
tv: 1:35 p.m. et, abc 7 (chicago), at&t sportsnet-pittsburgh
pitching matchup: cubs lh mike montgomery (0-1, 5.33 era) vs. pirates rh chad kuhl (4-2, 4.20)

montgomery, who has made 37 starts in 127 career appearances, allowed nine runs in 23 innings of relief this year before giving up six in 2 1/3 frames against cleveland on tuesday. the 28-year-old californian has completed three innings twice in 2018, including on may 6 as he held st. louis without a hit. jordy mercer is 4-for-8 with a homer versus montgomery, who gave up three runs over two frames against the pirates on april 10.
kuhl is unbeaten in his last four starts and six of seven after limiting cincinnati to one run and five hits over six innings in a no-decision on wednesday. the 25-year-old native of delaware, who is 17-17 in his career, has recorded five quality starts while posting three wins in his last seven trips to the mound. ben zobrist is 5-for-9 with two homers and six rbis versus kuhl, who is 1-4 with an 8.23 era in seven career outings against the cubs.
walk-offs

1. pirates c francisco cervelli missed sunday's game due to flu-like symptoms and is questionable for the series opener.

2. chicago cf albert almora jr. is 12-for-26 with four doubles and three rbis over his last eight contests.

3. pittsburgh rf gregory polanco is hitless in his last 19 at-bats, with nine strikeouts in that stretch.

prediction: pirates 5, cubs 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Priority Sports Info
Roy Maddux
#915 Houston Astros

[Can'tPickAWinner]

TDS Pucks & Dunks
Sloan Shannon
Home of the Dog Pound
#913 Philadelphia Phillies

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Miami Marlins vs. San Diego Padres Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

28th May 2018 by Gracenote
despite some encouraging signs in recent weeks, the san diego padres and miami marlins are a combined 24 games under .500 and hold firm grasps on last place in their respective divisions. the teams begin a four-game series monday at petco park eager to end the month on a positive note.

justin bour belted his 10th homer in sunday's 5-2 loss to washington as the marlins were swept in the three-game set as they fell to the nationals for the 11th straight time. miguel rojas started at third base in place of martin prado (hamstring) while j.t. riddle made his second start at shortstop since being recalled from triple-a new orleans and is 0-for-8 with five strikeouts since arriving. san diego dropped two of three to the los angeles dodgers but received a spark from jose pirela, who recorded three hits in sunday's 6-1 loss and went 8-for-13 for the series. the rebuilding padres have been giving an extended look to rookie outfielder franmil reyes, but the 22-year-old is batting .167 after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on sunday.
tv: 4:10 p.m. et, fs florida (miami), fs san diego
pitching matchup: marlins lh caleb smith (3-5, 3.83 era) vs. padres lh eric lauer (1-2, 6.67)

smith snapped a two-game skid on tuesday by holding the new york mets to one run and three hits while registering eight strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings in a 5-1 victory. the 26-year-old texan has allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts. smith, who is making his first career appearance against san diego, leads all rookies with 65 strikeouts and owns a 3-3 record and 2.41 era over his last six starts.
lauer matched a career high in both innings pitched (six) and strikeouts (seven) against washington on tuesday, when he allowed one run and six hits. "i thought, hands down, it was his best outing," manager andy green told reporters. "i was really encouraged." the strong outing marked a return to form for the 22-year-old rookie, who gave up 10 runs and 13 hits over seven innings in his previous two starts.
walk-offs

1. miami took the 2017 season series against the padres with a 5-1 record, which included a three-game sweep at home from august 25-27.

2. san diego acquired rhp phil hughes, cash and the 74th overall pick in the 2018 draft from minnesota for c janigson villalobos.

3. miami catcher j.t. realmuto is 10-for-23 with four rbis and two runs scored in his last five contests.

prediction: marlins 6, padres 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Billy Irish Picks
Billy Irish
Original Pot of Gold Top Play
#918 Boston Red Sox

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Winning Colors Pks
TJ Elliot
Football & Basketball specialist
#511/2 GS Warriors/Ho.Rockets Over

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Cincinnati Reds vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

28th May 2018 by Gracenote
the arizona diamondbacks are stumbling home with 15 losses in their last 17 games after going 1-8 on their just-completed road trip. once 13 games over .500, the diamondbacks now are sitting at 26-26 and hoping to get untracked monday afternoon, when they open a three-game series against the visiting cincinnati reds.

the slumping paul goldschmidt was moved to the second spot in the batting order over the weekend and went 3-for-12 with two rbis as the diamondbacks dropped two of three in oakland. the five-time all-star is batting .205 with six homers and 16 rbis this season but has registered eight blasts and 20 rbis in 37 career games versus cincinnati. the reds fell to 16-20 under interim manager jim riggleman with sunday's 8-2 loss to colorado, which featured another multi-hit performance by scooter gennett. cincinnati lost two of three to the rockies despite a strong series from joey votto, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored on sunday but has recorded just one rbi in his last 13 games.
tv: 4:10 p.m. et, fs ohio (cincinnati), fs arizona
pitching matchup: reds rh homer bailey (1-6, 6.21 era) vs. diamondbacks rh matt koch (2-3, 3.77)

bailey's dismal season continued on wednesday, when he allowed four runs on 10 hits and three walks in five-plus innings against pittsburgh. the 32-year-old texan has recorded only one win in 11 starts this season and owns a 9-19 record and 6.33 era over his last four injury-plagued seasons. bailey is 1-1 with a 3.42 era in five career starts versus arizona, including a 1-1 mark and 4.70 era in two turns at chase field.
koch suffered his third straight loss tuesday against milwaukee despite allowing one run and three hits over 5 1/3 innings. the 27-year-old rookie has struggled to keep the ball in the park, giving up a total of eight home runs over his last five starts. koch has posted a 4.55 era in five starts at home compared to a 2.03 mark in three games (two starts) away from chase field.

walk-offs

1. arizona is 11-6 in its last 17 games against the reds, including 3-3 last season.
2. cincinnati relief pitchers have gone 5-1 with a 2.64 era over the last 19 contests.

3. the diamondbacks have had a record of .500 or better for 214 consecutive games since the start of last season.

prediction: diamondbacks 7, reds 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

28th May 2018 by Gracenote
the cleveland indians look to build off a stirring victory to end their last series when they host the chicago white sox on monday afternoon for the opener of a three-game set between the american league central rivals. the indians rallied for five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning on sunday to forge a tie, matched houston with a homer by yonder alonso in the 13th and won 10-9 on greg allen's walk-off blast in the 14th for their fourth victory in six games.

cleveland's michael brantley singled home the tying run in the ninth and went 2-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 16 games - the third-longest of his career - during which he is batting .352 with five homers and 17 rbis. the white sox have dropped three of their last four games to fall into last place in the al central, going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position during a 3-2 loss at detroit on sunday. jose abreu went 0-for-4 in the series finale for chicago as his batting average sank to .313, but he recorded six hits in the previous two contests and multi-hit performances in seven of his last 10 games. the white sox will send dylan covey to the mound monday while the indians counter with adam plutko in a battle of 26-year-olds making their third start of the season.
tv: 4:10 p.m. et, espn, wgn (chicago), sportstime ohio (cleveland)
pitching matchup: white sox rh dylan covey (1-1, 3.46 era) vs. indians rh adam plutko (2-0, 2.03)

covey earned his first major-league victory wednesday against baltimore, allowing one run on six hits and one walk with eight strikeouts over seven innings. the californian lost his season debut at kansas city on april 28, when he limited the royals to four runs on seven hits and three walks in six frames. covey, who went 0-7 with a 7.71 era last year, gave up one run in three innings during two relief appearances versus cleveland in 2017.
plutko has won his first two major-league starts, including wednesday's turn in which he held the chicago cubs to two hits and four walks over six scoreless innings. the ucla product also defeated toronto on may 3, when he yielded three runs and six hits with six strikeouts in 7 1/3 frames. plutko, an 11th-round draft pick in 2013, faced the white sox in his big-league debut in 2016 and gave up two hits and a walk over 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
walk-offs

1. abreu needs two doubles to tie frank thomas (17) for the most in one month in franchise history.

2. cleveland 2b jason kipnis has knocked in six runs in his last six games and hit safely in seven of his last eight contests.
3. chicago of daniel palka went 5-for-14 with a homer and two rbis in the series against detroit.

prediction: indians 6, white sox 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

28th May 2018 by Gracenote
despite missing the top-third of their batting order due to injuries and suspensions, the seattle mariners haven't skipped a beat in the win column. the mariners set their sights on their ninth win in 10 tries monday, when they open of a four-game series against the visiting texas rangers.

seattle played sunday without usual no. 2 hitter jean segura (concussion), leadoff batter dee gordon (toe) - who was placed on the disabled list tuesday - and no. 3 man robinson cano - who received an 80-game suspension from major league baseball a week earlier for testing positive for a banned substance. the mariners continued their unlikely surge with sunday's 3-1 victory over minnesota, improving to 10-3 since cano last played. the rangers were denied their second three-game winning streak of the season and forced to settle for a four-game series split with kansas city following sunday's 5-3 loss. the mariners hold a 3-2 edge in the season series with their american league west rival after taking two of three in texas in late april and splitting a pair of meetings at home in mid-may.
tv: 4:10 p.m. et, fs southwest (texas), root northwest (seattle)
pitching matchup: rangers rh doug fister (1-4, 4.22 era) vs. mariners lh marco gonzales (4-3, 4.05)

fister was fortunate to come away with a no-decision wednesday versus the new york yankees after surrendering eight runs - six earned - and 11 hits (three homers) in 4 1/3 innings. the fresno state product, who is 0-2 despite posting a 1.90 era in five road starts, is 0-4 over his last eight turns but has produced two scoreless outings in that span. kyle seager and denard span are each 8-for-22 against fister, who is 4-4 with a 5.48 era in 10 career games (eight starts) versus seattle.
gonzales snapped a three-game winless streak wednesday in oakland, earning the victory after yielding only a pair of singles and walking two while fanning six in a career-high seven scoreless frames. the 26-year-old native of colorado held detroit to one unearned run across 5 2/3 innings in his previous outing and has given up only seven hits over 12 2/3 frames in his last two turns. gonzales won his only career start against the rangers, allowing three runs over five innings on sept. 12.
walk-offs

1. eleven of the 13 games the mariners have played without cano have been decided by fewer than three runs (9-2).

2. texas 1b-of joey gallo belted his 15th homer sunday but struck out at least once for the 10th straight game. he leads the majors with 78 strikeouts this season.
3. span is expected to make his team debut monday after being acquired from tampa bay on friday.

prediction: mariners 4, rangers 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

28th May 2018 by Gracenote
despite a setback to a non-division opponent in their last contest, the philadelphia phillies mostly have thrived whenever they have been able to play a team outside of the national league east. the phillies attempt to improve on the majors' best winning percentage versus teams outside of their division monday, when they begin a four-game series against the host los angeles dodgers.

even after dropping two of three to toronto over the weekend, philadelphia is 19-6 outside of its division and just 10-15 versus the nl east. that glowing record against non-divisional opponents has taken a hit of late, however, as four of those losses have come over the last eight contests. following a 16-26 start that matched their worst since moving from brooklyn in 1958, the dodgers have won eight of 10 to move within 3 1/2 games of the lead in the nl west. "i think we're starting to get our mojo back. everyone is getting healthy. ... we're feeling good and feeling confident again," los angeles first baseman cody bellinger told reporters after he and max muncy belted two-run homers in sunday's 6-1 victory over san diego.
tv: 8:10 p.m. et, nbcs philadelphia, sportsnet la (los angeles)
pitching matchup: phillies rh vince velasquez (4-5, 4.18 era) vs. dodgers rh brock stewart (0-0, 3.72)

velasquez registered nine strikeouts on tuesday but saw his three-start winning streak come to an end tuesday against atlanta after giving up two runs - one earned - on six hits and three walks while throwing 89 pitches over 4 1/3 innings. the 25-year-old has failed to make it through five frames in three of his last six turns, although he is averaging 14.05 strikeouts per nine innings over his last three outings. yasmani grandal is 4-for-6 with two homers versus velasquez, who is 0-2 with an 11.45 era in three career games (two starts) against the dodgers.
stewart did enough in the eyes of manager dave roberts to earn another start after not factoring in the decision tuesday against colorado, permitting two runs on five hits and a walk in four innings. the illinois state product worked in relief in each of his previous three appearances, giving up two runs and five hits across 5 2/3 frames. aaron altherr homered in his only at-bat against stewart, who allowed that run in one inning of relief in his only career appearance versus philadelphia last season.
walk-offs

1. dodgers of matt kemp is hitting .441 with five doubles, a homer and eight rbis over his last 10 games.

2. phillies 1b carlos santana is batting .288 with four doubles, seven home runs and 21 rbis in his last 20 games. over his first 30 contests, he was hitting .151 with two blasts and 11 rbis.
3. los angeles on sunday announced lhp clayton kershaw will come off the disabled list and start thursday's series finale.

prediction: phillies 6, dodgers 4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

28th May 2018 by Gracenote
the san francisco giants attempt to turn around their fortunes on what has been a difficult eight-game road trip when they visit the colorado rockies on monday for the opener of their three-game series. san francisco suffered an 8-3 loss to the cubs in chicago on sunday to fall to 1-4 on its trek after winning the final two contests of its four-game home set against colorado.

pablo sandoval went 1-for-3 with an rbi while making his first career start at second base sunday while brandon crawford recorded his second straight two-hit performance, giving him hits in 12 of his last 13 contests. colorado began its nine-game homestand by winning two of three against cincinnati, including an 8-2 triumph on sunday. carlos gonzalez went 4-for-4 with one of colorado's four home runs, a two-run blast into the upper deck in the first inning that represented his 1,300th career hit. nolan arenado finished 4-for-9 with two homers and three rbis against the reds as the rockies improved to 2-4-1 in home series this year.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, espn, nbcs bay area (san francisco), at&t sportsnet rocky mountain (colorado)
pitching matchup: giants lh andrew suarez (1-4, 5.68 era) vs. rockies rh chad bettis (4-1, 3.30)

suarez is looking to halt a three-start losing streak during which he has surrendered 15 runs and 22 hits over 14 innings. the 25-year-old floridian rookie has yielded five runs over four frames in each of his last two turns on the road after earning his first career victory at atlanta on may 6, when he gave up one unearned run in 5 1/3 innings. suarez, who will be facing colorado for the first time, has registered 30 strikeouts and issued only seven walks in 31 2/3 overall frames.
bettis remains in search of his first win at home this season after surrendering 12 runs on 19 hits and seven walks over 15 2/3 innings in three no-decisions at coors field. the 29-year-old texan has made seven of his 10 starts of 2018 on the road, including tuesday's no-decision at los angeles in which he limited the dodgers to two runs over five frames. bettis is 3-4 with a 4.50 era and his lone career complete game - a shutout - in eight starts and four relief appearances against san francisco.
walk-offs

1. rockies of david dahl is riding a four-game hitting streak during which he has gone 5-for-17 with a homer and four rbis.

2. san francisco signed rhp taylor hill, who last pitched in the majors with washington in 2015, to a minor-league contract.

3. colorado 2b dj lemahieu, who has missed 12 games with a left thumb injury, participated in batting practice and fielding drills on sunday and will do the same before the series opener.

prediction: rockies 8, giants 4

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SONNY GOLDMAN
MLB | May 28, 2018
Cardinals vs. Brewers
OVER 9 -115

[Can'tPickAWinner]

LARRY NESS

My 1* Free Play is on the Kansas City Royals (7:15 EST).

While neither starter instills much confidence, I don’t think that the home field advantage can be overlooked as a very real factor in this particular matchup.

The visitors hand the ball to the volatile Lance Lynn (2-4, 6.34 ERA) who comes in off a rare gem against the Tigers on Tuesday, going 6.2 scoreless with four K’s. Previous to that outing though Lynn had posted a dismal 7.0 BB/9, so to say that I’m not going to overreact to a single decent performance would be an understatement.

Note that Lynn has been particularly horrible on the road as well this season by going 1-2 with an 8.14 ERA.

The home side counters with Jake Junis (5-3, 3.52 ERA) who gave up two runs off five hits and a walk while striking out seven over five innings in a victory over the Cards on Wednesday.

Over 61.1 innings of work Junis sports a superb 55/13 K/W and to go along with his respectable ERA, he also owns an elite 1.09 WHIP.

And note that Junis has been particularly sharp in all night contests with a 3-2, 3.93 ERA record thus far.

I’ll point out as well that Minnesota is just 72-90 (-10.4 units) in its last 162 against the division, while KC is 91-84 (+9.9 units) in its last 175 against divisional opponents.

All things considered, i think Junis offers fantastic value in this one. Consider KC on Monday night.

Good luck…Larry