Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors
Handicapper Analysis
A bevy of meaningful trends favors Golden State tonight.
Teams that are coming off a Game 7 win tend to struggle in Game 1 of the following series.
Boston already lost Game 1 to Miami after beating the Bucks in Game 7.
Moreover, the Warriors dominated every home series opener in these playoffs.
They handled Denver by double digits before blowing out Memphis and Dallas.
Match-up wise, their small-ball lineup and heavy mixture of cutting and other forms of movement will hurt Boston's defense, which is the strongest asset of its squad and which is anchored by slow-footed bigs like Robert Williams III.
Best Bet: Warriors -4 at -108 with FanDuel
Atlanta Braves vs. Colorado Rockies
Handicapper Analysis
Brave starter Ian Anderson has tried to pitch in Coors Field once before and he flunked his test.
In this start, he yielded a 12.00 ERA while lasting only three innings.
Anderson struggles here because the effectivity of his pitches derives largely from their movement, but pitches move differently in high-altitude Denver, and it is hard for pitchers to make adjustments.
Plus, Anderson normally relies heavily on his curveball, which is a less reliable pitch in Denver.
As for Rockie starter Austin Gomber, he promises to struggle tonight because he is facing an Atlanta team that ranks sixth in slugging against lefties.
Best Bet: Over 11.5 at +100 with FanDuel
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs
Handicapper Analysis
The Cardinals, in need of healthy starting pitching, are relying on Matt Liberatore.
Liberatore is a youngster looking to find his professional footing while relying heavily on a fastball that leaves a lot to desire beyond the superficial fact of its velocity.
Overall, Liberatore's primary pitches are his fastball, curveball, and sinker.
These three pitches make up just over 80 percent of his arsenal.
I like Cub batters tonight because they rank fourth in slugging against Liberatore's favorite pitches from lefties.
On the other side, Chicago starter Keegan Thompson has allowed a combined total of three earned runs in three starts this year.
Thompson matches up well against a Card squad that ranks 23rdin slugging against his favorite pitches.
Best Bet: Cubs ML at -110 with FanDuel
San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Handicapper Analysis
Led by high-profile left-handed batters, such as Christian Yelich, the Brewers are not well-built to succeed against left-handed pitching.
They miss lefty-killer Hunter Renfroe who isn't eligible for activation from the IL until Friday.
For the Padres, lefty starter Sean Manaea matches up well against a Brewer squad that ranks near-last in slugging. below .300 against his favorite pitches from lefties.
But Brewer starter Adrian Houser also matches up well against the Padres who rank 27thin slugging against Houser's favorite pitches from righties.
Plus, Houser owns key Padre offensive piece Manny Machado who is 0-or-8 lifetime against Houser.
Best Bet: Under 8.5 at -112 with FanDuel
San Francisco Giants vs. Miami Marlins
Handicapper Analysis
Giant starter Alex Wood promises to thrive tonight because he yields a 2.92 career ERA in 49.1 innings in Miami.
Miami's Sandy Alcantara will keep his team competitive, though, because he is a model of consistency.
Alcantara has allowed a combined total of three earned runs in his last four games.
His overall success this season -- he has allowed one earned run or fewer in six of his 10 starts so far -- has persisted despite facing teams that match up well against him based on the pitches that he throws.
He has a nice amount of variety in his four-pitch arsenal that keeps batters guessing.
Best Bet: Under 7 at -105 with FanDuel
Handicapper Analysis
A bevy of meaningful trends favors Golden State tonight.
Teams that are coming off a Game 7 win tend to struggle in Game 1 of the following series.
Boston already lost Game 1 to Miami after beating the Bucks in Game 7.
Moreover, the Warriors dominated every home series opener in these playoffs.
They handled Denver by double digits before blowing out Memphis and Dallas.
Match-up wise, their small-ball lineup and heavy mixture of cutting and other forms of movement will hurt Boston's defense, which is the strongest asset of its squad and which is anchored by slow-footed bigs like Robert Williams III.
Best Bet: Warriors -4 at -108 with FanDuel
Atlanta Braves vs. Colorado Rockies
Handicapper Analysis
Brave starter Ian Anderson has tried to pitch in Coors Field once before and he flunked his test.
In this start, he yielded a 12.00 ERA while lasting only three innings.
Anderson struggles here because the effectivity of his pitches derives largely from their movement, but pitches move differently in high-altitude Denver, and it is hard for pitchers to make adjustments.
Plus, Anderson normally relies heavily on his curveball, which is a less reliable pitch in Denver.
As for Rockie starter Austin Gomber, he promises to struggle tonight because he is facing an Atlanta team that ranks sixth in slugging against lefties.
Best Bet: Over 11.5 at +100 with FanDuel
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs
Handicapper Analysis
The Cardinals, in need of healthy starting pitching, are relying on Matt Liberatore.
Liberatore is a youngster looking to find his professional footing while relying heavily on a fastball that leaves a lot to desire beyond the superficial fact of its velocity.
Overall, Liberatore's primary pitches are his fastball, curveball, and sinker.
These three pitches make up just over 80 percent of his arsenal.
I like Cub batters tonight because they rank fourth in slugging against Liberatore's favorite pitches from lefties.
On the other side, Chicago starter Keegan Thompson has allowed a combined total of three earned runs in three starts this year.
Thompson matches up well against a Card squad that ranks 23rdin slugging against his favorite pitches.
Best Bet: Cubs ML at -110 with FanDuel
San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Handicapper Analysis
Led by high-profile left-handed batters, such as Christian Yelich, the Brewers are not well-built to succeed against left-handed pitching.
They miss lefty-killer Hunter Renfroe who isn't eligible for activation from the IL until Friday.
For the Padres, lefty starter Sean Manaea matches up well against a Brewer squad that ranks near-last in slugging. below .300 against his favorite pitches from lefties.
But Brewer starter Adrian Houser also matches up well against the Padres who rank 27thin slugging against Houser's favorite pitches from righties.
Plus, Houser owns key Padre offensive piece Manny Machado who is 0-or-8 lifetime against Houser.
Best Bet: Under 8.5 at -112 with FanDuel
San Francisco Giants vs. Miami Marlins
Handicapper Analysis
Giant starter Alex Wood promises to thrive tonight because he yields a 2.92 career ERA in 49.1 innings in Miami.
Miami's Sandy Alcantara will keep his team competitive, though, because he is a model of consistency.
Alcantara has allowed a combined total of three earned runs in his last four games.
His overall success this season -- he has allowed one earned run or fewer in six of his 10 starts so far -- has persisted despite facing teams that match up well against him based on the pitches that he throws.
He has a nice amount of variety in his four-pitch arsenal that keeps batters guessing.
Best Bet: Under 7 at -105 with FanDuel
