San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs
Handicapper Analysis
The Cubs have been non-stop losers as of late.
However, lack of hitting has not been the primary reason for their struggles.
During their ongoing nine-game losing streak, they rank 8thin slugging against Padre starter Joe Musgrove's favorite pitches from righties.
Musgrove will get plenty of run support.
The Padres have amassed 31 runs through two games in this series.
They face a starter in Matt Swarmer who does not seem ready for professional baseball, as he's yielded an FIP (like ERA but factors out fielding) of 5.98 against Milwaukee, 4.64 against St. Louis, and 17.14 against the Yankees.
Best Bet: Over 10.5 at +100 (FanDuel)
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals
Handicapper Analysis
Zack Wheeler became a different pitcher when he became a member of the Phillies.
He has been better than ever this season and better than ever in his most recent stretch of play.
Wheeler has yielded a sub-1 FIP (like ERA but factors out fielding) in three of his last five starts.
His FIP was under 2.00 in four of those starts and under 3.00 in all five of them.
He won't even need to be too good since National counterpart Patrick Corbin's form has been vastly worse, and the Phillies rank fourth in slugging against his favorite pitches from lefties.
Best Bet: Phillies RL (-1.5) at -122 with FanDuel
Cleveland Guardians vs. Colorado Rockies
Handicapper Analysis
Guardian starter Triston McKenzie brings an ideal pitching repertoire into Coors Field.
Like most Rockie starting pitchers, he favors a fastball-slider combi.
Moreover, he matches up well against Colorado batters.
They rank 25thin slugging against his pitches from righties.
Conversely, Colorado starter Chad Kuhl matches up poorly with Guardian batters.
They rank seventh in slugging against Kuhl's two favorite pitches from righties.
Kuhl has cooled off considerably since his strong to the season.
His decline in performance, perhaps induced by a velocity decline, must intensify concern over his prospects today.
Plus, Cleveland has won six of its last seven games.
Best Bet: Guardians ML at -126 with FanDuel
Texas Rangers vs. Detroit Tigers
Handicapper Analysis
Ranger starter Martin Perez may look reliable if you look at how he's performed this season.
However, his season-long performance is irrelevant to the here and now.
So far in June, Perez is enjoying by far his worst month of the season.
His poor June will continue because he is pitching in what is for him a nightmare venue.
In five career starts in Detroit, Perez is 0-4 with an 8.71 ERA.
For Detroit, starter Beau Brieske is heading in the exact opposite direction.
Despite facing tough competition -- the Blue Jays and Yankees -- he is enjoying his best month of the season.
Plus, Texas ranks 26thin slugging against his favorite pitches from righties.
Best Bet: Tigers ML at +120 with FanDuel
Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics
Handicapper Analysis
Boston is favored tonight because it is the home team.
However, Boston has proven to be an awfully unreliable home team during these playoffs.
Most of its losses in earlier series against Milwaukee and Miami came at home.
Tonight looks particularly promising for the Warriors because they have found an answer for the Celtic offense, which is too reliant on three-point shooting and which misses a Curry-level superstar.
While Boston has failed to reach 100 points in consecutive games, the Celtic defense cannot manage to keep both Curry from going off and limit his in-form supporting cast.
Best Bet: Warriors ML at +142 with FanDuel
Handicapper Analysis
The Cubs have been non-stop losers as of late.
However, lack of hitting has not been the primary reason for their struggles.
During their ongoing nine-game losing streak, they rank 8thin slugging against Padre starter Joe Musgrove's favorite pitches from righties.
Musgrove will get plenty of run support.
The Padres have amassed 31 runs through two games in this series.
They face a starter in Matt Swarmer who does not seem ready for professional baseball, as he's yielded an FIP (like ERA but factors out fielding) of 5.98 against Milwaukee, 4.64 against St. Louis, and 17.14 against the Yankees.
Best Bet: Over 10.5 at +100 (FanDuel)
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals
Handicapper Analysis
Zack Wheeler became a different pitcher when he became a member of the Phillies.
He has been better than ever this season and better than ever in his most recent stretch of play.
Wheeler has yielded a sub-1 FIP (like ERA but factors out fielding) in three of his last five starts.
His FIP was under 2.00 in four of those starts and under 3.00 in all five of them.
He won't even need to be too good since National counterpart Patrick Corbin's form has been vastly worse, and the Phillies rank fourth in slugging against his favorite pitches from lefties.
Best Bet: Phillies RL (-1.5) at -122 with FanDuel
Cleveland Guardians vs. Colorado Rockies
Handicapper Analysis
Guardian starter Triston McKenzie brings an ideal pitching repertoire into Coors Field.
Like most Rockie starting pitchers, he favors a fastball-slider combi.
Moreover, he matches up well against Colorado batters.
They rank 25thin slugging against his pitches from righties.
Conversely, Colorado starter Chad Kuhl matches up poorly with Guardian batters.
They rank seventh in slugging against Kuhl's two favorite pitches from righties.
Kuhl has cooled off considerably since his strong to the season.
His decline in performance, perhaps induced by a velocity decline, must intensify concern over his prospects today.
Plus, Cleveland has won six of its last seven games.
Best Bet: Guardians ML at -126 with FanDuel
Texas Rangers vs. Detroit Tigers
Handicapper Analysis
Ranger starter Martin Perez may look reliable if you look at how he's performed this season.
However, his season-long performance is irrelevant to the here and now.
So far in June, Perez is enjoying by far his worst month of the season.
His poor June will continue because he is pitching in what is for him a nightmare venue.
In five career starts in Detroit, Perez is 0-4 with an 8.71 ERA.
For Detroit, starter Beau Brieske is heading in the exact opposite direction.
Despite facing tough competition -- the Blue Jays and Yankees -- he is enjoying his best month of the season.
Plus, Texas ranks 26thin slugging against his favorite pitches from righties.
Best Bet: Tigers ML at +120 with FanDuel
Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics
Handicapper Analysis
Boston is favored tonight because it is the home team.
However, Boston has proven to be an awfully unreliable home team during these playoffs.
Most of its losses in earlier series against Milwaukee and Miami came at home.
Tonight looks particularly promising for the Warriors because they have found an answer for the Celtic offense, which is too reliant on three-point shooting and which misses a Curry-level superstar.
While Boston has failed to reach 100 points in consecutive games, the Celtic defense cannot manage to keep both Curry from going off and limit his in-form supporting cast.
Best Bet: Warriors ML at +142 with FanDuel
