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

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 08:38 AM

Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
the golden state warriors found the form that made them nba champions in the second half on saturday and used it to run away with a win and force a game 7 in the western conference finals. the warriors will try to carry that momentum on the road and earn their fourth consecutive trip to the nba finals when they visit the houston rockets on monday.

the rockets jumped out to a 39-22 lead after the first quarter in game 6 and held a 61-51 edge at the break only to score 25 points in the second half and suffer a 115-86 setback as golden state exploded behind klay thompson and stephen curry. "we'd like to get off to a better start," warriors coach steve kerr told reporters. "but we like -- we like our formula. we like our defense against these guys, and we feel confident that we can carry this through to game 7 on the road and continue to make things as difficult as possible on houston without fouling." houston is confident heading home despite the beating it took in the second half on saturday and the uncertainty surrounding the health of point guard chris paul. "if you asked us when we were in the bahamas this summer, this team together, you know, western conference finals, game 7 to go to the finals against the warriors, we'll take that," rockets star james harden told reporters. "so, nothing changes for us. we know what we have to do."

tv: 9 p.m. et, tnt
about the warriors: thompson finished with 35 points and went 9-of-14 from 3-point range in game 6 as golden state started to push the pace and move the ball. "i feel like we're the best team in the world and most fun team in the world to watch when we're pushing that ball, getting defensive stops and making plays," thompson told reporters. "we've got too much talent not just to hit singles like coach always says. trust the next man ahead of us. it will end up working in our favor most of the time." thompson added four steals to his performance and his teammates credited his work on harden at the defensive end for sparking the offense.
about the rockets: paul sat out game 6 with a hamstring injury suffered in the final minute of game 5 and remains uncertain for game 7. houston committed 21 turnovers without their point guard on the floor in game 6, including nine by harden, who finished with 32 points and nine assists but continued a trend of poor shooting from beyond the arc with a 4-of-12 effort. "there's no pressure," harden told reporters of game 7. "it's an opportunity, though, an opportunity that we all are excited to be a part of. game 7 at our house. that's what we worked the entire regular season for, is homecourt advantage. we're going to come out and we're going to be ready."
buzzer beaters
1. warriors sf andre iguodala (knee) sat out the last three games and is questionable for game 7.
2. houston sg gerald green is 6-of-9 from 3-point range over the last two games.

3. golden state pf draymond green collected 10 rebounds, nine assists, five blocks and four steals in game 6.

prediction: warriors 112, rockets 103

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 08:38 AM

Washington Nationals vs. Baltimore Orioles Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
the washington nationals are rolling behind a pitching staff that is allowing an average of 2.3 runs over the last six games. the baltimore orioles, who host the nationals in the opener of a three-game interleague series pitting beltway rivals on monday, don't need to see a pitching staff operating in high gear while their offense continues to sputter.

washington opened its 10-game road trip by sweeping three from the miami marlins over the weekend, capped by a 5-2 win on sunday, to improve to 17-8 on the road. while the nationals' pitching staff is putting up consistent strong results, the offense got a boost on sunday as star bryce harper broke out of a slump that saw him strikeout in five consecutive official at-bats bridging saturday and sunday by blasting his national league-leading 16th home run in the victory. the orioles have a slugger to rival harper in manny machado but are not getting much production from the rest of the lineup while scoring three or fewer runs in 10 of the last 12 games. baltimore will try to find its collective swing on monday against washington left-hander gio gonzalez while countering with righty alex cobb.
tv: 1:05 p.m. et, masn 2 (washington), masn (baltimore)
pitching matchup: nationals lh gio gonzalez (5-2, 2.38 era) vs orioles rh alex cobb (1-6, 7.32)

gonzalez surrendered two or fewer earned runs in nine of his first 10 starts and is coming off a win over san diego last monday in which he allowed two runs and two hits in seven frames. the seven innings matched a season high for the florida native, who issued 26 walks in 56 2/3 innings while striking out 60 in those first 10 turns. gonzalez lost his lone start against baltimore last season, getting ripped for six runs on seven hits - three homers - in six innings.
cobb is still trying to find his footing with his new team and followed up his first win with another poor outing on wednesday. the 30-year-old was ripped for six runs on eight hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings to suffer the loss, ending a string of four straight starts allowing three or fewer earned runs. cobb is making his first career appearance against washington and is 9-4 with a 2.50 era in 16 interleague starts.
walk-offs

1. orioles 1b chris davis is batting .156 and struck out at least once in each of his last 12 games.

2. harper totaled 11 strikeouts in his last four games.

3. the teams split four meetings last season and will play six times in 2018.

prediction: nationals 5, orioles 1

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 08:38 AM

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
the toronto blue jays battled the major league-best boston red sox as hard as any team earlier this season but were not able to come away with a series victory in two tries. the blue jays attempt to get an early edge when they visit the red sox on monday in the opener of a three-game set at fenway park.

toronto hosted boston once in april and again in may, and all six games were decided by three or fewer runs but the blue jays managed to win only two of those contests - both in extra innings. toronto had more luck winning tight games over the weekend, taking two of three at philadelphia while winning the rubber match 5-3 on sunday behind a strong pitching performance from j.a. happ and two-run doubles from devon travis and dwight smith jr. the red sox earned their third straight series win over the weekend but missed out on a three-game sweep when they dropped a 7-1 decision to the atlanta braves in a rare struggle for the offense. boston will try to start another winning streak behind left-hander david price on monday while the blue jays counter with righty aaron sanchez.
tv: 1:05 p.m. et, sportsnet (toronto), nesn (boston)
pitching matchup: blue jays rh aaron sanchez (2-4, 4.07 era) vs. red sox lh david price (4-4, 4.08)

sanchez is winless in his last four outings and was stuck with a no-decision wednesday despite yielding two hits in five scoreless frames. the 25-year-old issued five walks in those five frames and is struggling to work deep into games with 34 walks in 55 1/3 total innings. sanchez faced boston twice already this season and did not factor in the decision in either turn while surrendering a total of four earned runs on eight hits and five walks in 11 innings.
price is coming off his third consecutive strong outing and held tampa bay to one run on three hits and three walks while striking out nine in six innings on wednesday. the nine strikeouts marked a season high for the vanderbilt product, who owns 55 punchouts in 57 1/3 total frames. price earned a win at toronto on may 12, when he allowed two runs and five hits while striking out six in 5 1/3 total innings.
walk-offs

1. red sox rf mookie betts (left side tightness) sat out sunday and is day-to-day.

2. toronto rhp seunghwan oh allowed a total of one hit while striking out six in five total innings over his last four appearances.

3. boston 2b dustin pedroia (knee surgery) is 0-for-7 in two games since returning from the disabled list.

prediction: red sox 6, blue jays 2

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 08:38 AM

Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
justin verlander will be tasked with two assignments monday - cooling off the new york yankees and lifting his teammates back up following a morale-sapping loss. verlander looks to continue his sensational stretch of pitching in may when he takes the mound for the houston astros on monday in the opener of a three-game set at yankee stadium.

verlander has allowed one earned run or less in all five starts this month, a stretch that began when he struck out 14 in eight scoreless innings against new york on may 1. the astros have dropped two in a row following an 8-1 stretch, including a 10-9 loss in 14 innings at cleveland on sunday in which they blew a five-run ninth-inning lead. the yankees took two of three against the los angeles angels over the weekend to improve to 24-7 in their last 31 games and close within one game of first-place boston in the american league east. second baseman gleyber torres is expected back in the lineup for new york, which won three of four at houston four weeks ago in a rematch of last year's al championship series.
tv: 1:05 p.m. et, espn, at&t sportsnet-southwest (houston), yes (new york)
pitching matchup: astros rh justin verlander (6-2, 1.08 era) vs. yankees rh domingo german (0-2, 5.59)

verlander is only 2-2 in his five starts this month despite allowing a total of four runs (three earned) in that span, but he won his second straight by limiting san francisco to one run on three hits in six innings on wednesday. it was the ninth consecutive quality start for the 35-year-old, who has yielded only four homers. giancarlo stanton is 1-for-8 against verlander, who is 1-4 with a 4.38 era at the new yankee stadium.
german has struggled since a brilliant performance in his first career start on may 6, when he did not allow a hit and struck out nine against cleveland. the 25-year-old dominican has given up six runs in each of his last two outings and took the loss after lasting only 3 2/3 innings at texas on tuesday. german turned in a strong effort in relief at houston on may 1, working four scoreless innings and fanning four.
walk-offs

1. astros 2b jose altuve broke his own club record with 10 straight hits before he was retired in his last two at-bats on sunday.

2. the yankees own the best home record in the majors (20-8) and are 16-6 overall versus teams with winning records.

3. astros c evan gattis was 5-for-13 with two homers, six rbis and four runs scored at cleveland.

prediction: astros 4, yankees 3

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 08:39 AM

New York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
the new york mets saw their bullpen give up 17 runs on 21 hits over 10 2/3 innings while losing three in a row at milwaukee, not exactly the best way to enter monday's day-night doubleheader at the atlanta braves. the rough weekend dropped the mets to just one game above .500 and four behind the national league east-leading braves coming into a four-game series, and new york is struggling to keep players on the field.

reliever a.j. ramos returned to new york for a mri on his right shoulder sunday while infielder wilmer flores experienced back soreness in sunday's 8-7 loss and also is heading home for further examination, meaning newly-signed jose bautista - who is 4-for-9 in five games with the mets after the braves released him last week - will likely move from left field to third base. atlanta also has injury concerns as 20-year-old phenom ronald acuna left sunday's 7-1 victory at boston after hitting first base awkwardly in beating out an infield single in the seventh inning. he was able to walk off the field under his own power after staying down for several minutes with what the braves termed, "knee and lower back pain," and reportedly was undergoing testing at a boston hospital after the game. acuna's injury marred an otherwise outstanding day for atlanta as it salvaged a 2-4 road trip by pounding red sox ace chris sale for six runs across 4 1/3 innings, getting four hits and four rbis from the duo of tyler flowers and kurt suzuki.
tv: 1:10 p.m. et, sny (new york), fs southeast (atlanta)
pitching matchup: mets rh jacob degrom (4-0, 1.54 era) vs. braves lh max fried (0-2, 6.00)
it has been a stellar two months for degrom, who leads the nl in era and homers per nine innings (0.3) while ranking second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.9). the 29-year-old has surrendered only one run in his past 33 1/3 innings with 47 strikeouts, matching his career high with 13 punchouts in seven innings against arizona on may 18. degrom has not allowed a run in two starts (both no decisions) against the braves this season, striking out 16 and giving up six hits in 11 innings.
atlanta will call up the 24-year-old fried for his first start of the season and his fifth major-league starting assignment. he has appeared in four games in the majors this season, all in relief, giving up four runs on five hits over six innings with seven strikeouts. fried, who posted a 3.44 era while going 1-1 in four starts in 2017, is atlanta's no. 7 prospect according to mlb pipeline and is 1-2 with a 3.12 era in five minor-league starts this season.
walk-offs

1. atlanta 1b freddie freeman extended his hitting streak to eight games sunday and is batting .325 on the season with a .965 ops.

2. new york 2b asdrubal cabrera and c devin mesoraco each went deep sunday, giving the mets 22 homers in their past 17 games.

3. monday's doubleheader is the result of an april 22 rainout, but rains from subtropical storm alberto could impact the series.

prediction: mets 6, braves 3

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 08:39 AM

Los Angeles Angels vs. Detroit Tigers Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
having lost their first series away from home, the los angeles angels will look to avoid making it two straight when they wrap up their 10-game road trip with the first of four against the detroit tigers on monday afternoon. the angels fell to 3-3 on their season-long 10-game trek after losing 3-1 in sunday's rubber match versus the new york yankees.

los angeles managed one run in each of its two losses at yankee stadium sandwiched around an 11-run outburst in saturday's win to fall to 6-1-1 in road series. two-way sensation shohei ohtani, who was pushed back from his scheduled start on sunday and may get the nod wednesday against detroit, was 0-for-9 against the yankees -- the first time he's gone hitless in three straight games in his brief major-league career. the tigers (23-29) took two of three from the major league-worst chicago white sox over the weekend to move into second place in the american league central despite sitting six games under .500. slugger miguel cabrera, who last played may 3 due to a hamstring injury, is expected to return in the series but is unlikely to play monday.
tv: 1:10 p.m. et, fs west (los angeles), fs detroit
pitching matchup: angels lh tyler skaggs (3-3, 3.11 era) vs. tigers lh matthew boyd (2-4, 3.29)

skaggs is mired in a five-start winless drought despite allowing a total of 10 runs while striking out 35 batters and walking only eight during that span. he did not factor in the decision wednesday at toronto, giving up three runs over five innings - only the second time he's allowed more than two runs. skaggs has made two career starts against the tigers, going 1-0 with a 0.77 era.
boyd lasted only four innings tuesday at minnesota, forced to exit with oblique spasms after permitting two runs on one hit and four walks. the 27-year-old registered back-to-back quality starts in his previous two turns against seattle and has surrendered two runs or fewer in six of his nine outings. boyd, who will face the angels for the first time, is 2-1 with a 2.22 era in four starts at home.
walk-offs

1. angels cf mike trout had homered in three straight games, a streak that was halted in sunday's setback.

2. tigers 3b jeimer candelario has reached base in 21 straight games, the longest active streak in the majors.

3. angels of justin upton (forearm) sat out sunday's game after getting hit by a pitch saturday.

prediction: angels 4, tigers 3

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 08:39 AM

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
the milwaukee brewers have won five straight series and will try to start their next one on a good note when they begin a three-game set with the visiting st. louis cardinals on monday. after losing the first of four straight against the new york mets, the brewers picked up three consecutive wins over the weekend.

two of the victories were one-run triumphs, including sunday's 8-7 result in which milwaukee scored four times in the seventh to claim the lead. jesus aguilar homered and drove in four runs in the victory, leaving him 13-for-35 with six long balls and 16 rbis over a nine-game span. he will get his first look at cardinals right-hander luke weaver, who opposes left-hander brent suter in the series opener. st. louis is coming off a series win of its own after taking the rubber game in pittsburgh by a 6-4 margin.
tv: 2:10 p.m. et, fs midwest (st. louis), fs wisconsin (milwaukee)

pitching matchup: cardinals rh luke weaver (3-4, 4.31 era) vs. brewers lh brent suter (4-3, 4.56)

weaver has rebounded from a rocky stretch to post a 1.89 era over his last three starts, although he is 1-2 in that span. he fanned a season-high eight in seven strong innings of a hard-luck loss to kansas city on tuesday. domingo santana is 4-for-8 with a home run against the 24-year-old weaver, who is 2-1 with a 4.40 era in his career versus milwaukee.
suter won his last two starts while allowing a total of three runs in 11 1/3 innings and striking out six batters both times. the 28-year-old yielded one run and four hits in 5 1/3 frames in a no-decision at st. louis on april 10 and is 0-2 with a 3.80 era in seven career meetings (three starts). jose martinez has a home run, a single and a walk in six plate appearances versus suter.
walk-offs

1. brewers rf christian yelich went 9-for-18 in the series against the mets.

2. cardinals 1b matt carpenter has six multi-hit efforts in an 11-game stretch to raise his average from .140 to .214.

3. the road team took two of three in each of the first two series between the teams.

prediction: brewers 5, cardinals 4

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 08:39 AM

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
the oakland athletics hope to receive a third consecutive strong pitching performance when they host the tampa bay rays on monday afternoon for the opener of their four-game series. oakland allowed a total of one run in back-to-back victories over arizona, getting a complete-game shutout from daniel mengden on saturday before frankie montas worked six solid innings in his season debut.

three relievers followed montas by registering four strikeouts over three perfect innings as the athletics evened their record to 3-3 on a 10-game homestand. tampa bay is coming off its third win in four games, an 8-3 triumph over baltimore that concluded a 3-3 stretch at home. the rays yielded three runs in the top of the first inning but rallied for six in the third to secure the series win. brad miller, who went 2-for-5 with a homer and three rbis on sunday, scored in the opening frame to give the rays 16 first-inning runs in their last 16 contests.
tv: 4:05 p.m. et, fs sun (tampa bay), nbcs california (oakland)
pitching matchup: rays rh chris archer (3-3, 4.68 era) vs. athletics rh trevor cahill (1-2, 2.75)

archer has pitched well this month, allowing fewer than three runs in four of his five starts, but has just one win to show for his efforts. the 29-year-old native of north carolina settled for a no-decision against boston on wednesday despite giving up just one run and four hits over six innings. archer has made two career starts versus oakland, going 1-0 while yielding five runs on 13 hits and seven walks with 16 strikeouts in 11 1/3 frames.
cahill also did not factor in the decision his last time out, when he allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings against seattle on tuesday. the 30-year-old californian is winless since his season debut against the chicago white sox on april 17 despite surrendering three earned runs or fewer in each of his next five outings. cahill owns a 2-1 record and 4.50 era in four starts and one relief appearance versus tampa bay.

walk-offs

1. athletics ss marcus semien went 2-for-4 on sunday, giving him four two-hit performances in his last eight games.
2. tampa bay recalled rhp jaime schultz from triple-a durham and optioned lhp anthony banda to the bulls.

3. oakland optioned rhp chris bassitt to triple-a nashville to make room on the roster for montas.

prediction: rays 5, athletics 2

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 08:39 AM

New York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
the new york mets saw their bullpen give up 17 runs on 21 hits over 10 2/3 innings while losing three in a row at milwaukee, not exactly the best way to enter monday's day-night doubleheader at the atlanta braves. the rough weekend dropped the mets to just one game above .500 and four behind the national league east-leading braves coming into a four-game series, and new york is struggling to keep players on the field.

reliever a.j. ramos returned to new york for a mri on his right shoulder sunday while infielder wilmer flores experienced back soreness in sunday's 8-7 loss and also is heading home for further examination, meaning newly-signed jose bautista - who is 4-for-9 in five games with the mets after the braves released him last week - will likely move from left field to third base. atlanta also has injury concerns as 20-year-old phenom ronald acuna left sunday's 7-1 victory at boston after hitting first base awkwardly in beating out an infield single in the seventh inning. he was able to walk off the field under his own power after staying down for several minutes with what the braves termed, "knee and lower back pain," and reportedly was undergoing testing at a boston hospital after the game. acuna's injury marred an otherwise outstanding day for atlanta as it salvaged a 2-4 road trip by pounding red sox ace chris sale for six runs across 4 1/3 innings, getting four hits and four rbis from the duo of tyler flowers and kurt suzuki.
tv: 7:10 p.m. et, sny (new york), fs southeast (atlanta)
pitching matchup: mets tba vs. braves rh brandon mccarthy (5-2, 4.67 era)
the mets might opt for a bullpen game in the nightcap and reportedly are not announcing their starter until monday. one potential candidate to begin the game is right-hander seth lugo (1-0, 1.72 era), who has pitched a career-high 17 scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts in may and made three multi-inning appearances since may 15. right-hander robert gsellman (4-1, 3.31) has made 29 career starts but gave up two runs in relief sunday, while newly-promoted left-hander p.j. conlon gave up three runs over 3 2/3 innings in starting his only appearance in the majors may 7 at cincinnati.
mccarthy has rebounded nicely from two awful starts to begin may, allowing just one run in each of his past two outings while striking out 13 over 11 2/3 innings. the 34-year-old, who opened the month by surrendering 14 runs in 8 1/3 innings for his first two losses of the season, earned the victory tuesday at philadelphia with 5 2/3 innings of one-run, four-hit pitching. mccarthy, who has yet to face the mets this season, sports a 5.40 era and a 1.80 whip at home compared to 4.22 and 1.44 on the road.
walk-offs

1. atlanta 1b freddie freeman extended his hitting streak to eight games sunday and is batting .325 on the season with a .965 ops.

2. new york 2b asdrubal cabrera and c devin mesoraco went deep sunday, giving the mets 22 homers in their past 17 games.

3. monday's doubleheader is the result of an april 22 rainout, but rains from subtropical storm alberto could impact the series.

prediction: braves 5, mets 3

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 08:40 AM

Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals Preview and Predictions 05-28-2018

27th May 2018 by Gracenote
the minnesota twins hope that a change of scenery will get their bats going when they carry a four-game losing streak into kansas city on monday for the first of three against the royals. the twins have scored six total runs during the slide, including sunday's 3-1 loss at seattle, which limited minnesota to four hits.

slumping second baseman brian dozier had shown signs of life with a modest five-game hitting streak, but he was 0-for-4 in the defeat as the twins were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. the royals have won four of their last six after a 5-3 victory in texas on sunday, which gave them a split of a four-game series. salvador perez slugged one of two homers for kansas city, giving him eight over his last 23 games. he and his teammates will take aim at twins right-hander lance lynn, who is coming off his best start of the season, while jakob junis goes for the royals.
tv: 7:15 p.m. et, fs north (minnesota), fs kansas city

pitching matchup: twins rh lance lynn (2-4, 6.34 era) vs. royals rh jakob junis (5-3, 3.52)
lynn took a 7.47 era into a matchup with detroit on tuesday and finally found his form with 6 2/3 scoreless innings. he limited the tigers to five hits and a walk while striking out four in his longest outing of the season. the 31-year-old is 0-1 with a 5.55 era in four career starts against the royals and will be particularly careful against alex gordon, who is 7-for-12 versus lynn.

junis worked at least six innings in five of his first seven starts, but he's failed to get that far in each of his last three outings. he gave up two runs and five hits with seven strikeouts in five frames in a no-decision at st. louis on wednesday. the 25-year-old, who has surrendered nine home runs in 29 2/3 innings at home this year, has a 3.27 era in two prior matchups with the twins.
walk-offs

1. minnesota is 7-3 against american league central opponents, while kansas city is 10-13.

2. royals 2b whit merrifield has six hits, four rbis and three walks during a four-game hitting streak.
3. twins cf byron buxton went 0-for-8 in the series at seattle, dropping his average to .157.

prediction: royals 4, twins 3

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 09:23 AM

Mike Wynn

Free Play: Free Boston w/Price -180 Over Toronto

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 09:23 AM

Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Comp Pick, Monday, May 28, 2018

MLB (913) PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES VS (914) LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Take: (913) PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Reason: Your free play for Monday, May 28, 2018 is in the MLB Scheduled contest between the Philadelphia Phillies and the LA Dodgers. Your free play is on the PHILLIES

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 09:23 AM

Razor Sharp

YOUR RAZOR SHARP FREE PICK FOR MONDAY: Take COLORADO (Bettis) -130 over San Francisco

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-28-2018, 09:23 AM

Totals4U

Monday's Free Selection: Philadelphia Phillies/Los Angeles Dodgers over 8

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

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

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