Matt's Picks (7 Live)
I think the Kings get at least one in this series, and I'm not guaranteeing this one Thursday but that would be the logical assumption. I'll touch on this more in my Thursday CBS Sports betting story/newsletter. Long story short, the Kings have played at least evenly so far if not a tad better. Just haven't solved Scott Wedgewood. I cannot explain the joy of owning a Stanley Cup playoffs +1.5 ticket when the teams are in overtime. At least for me. That's lampshade in the courtyard time ....
I'm having one of those days where everything seems to be breaking right for a change. Even my wife apologized to me! I think it was for something she yelled about in 2022 when I accidentally put bacon grease in the disposal, but I'll take the win. Jacob deGrom looks almost back to pre-injury form for the Rangers, and a fading a dude named Bubba (Pirates starter Chandler) in Texas seems like an apt thing to do. Half-unit as I'm guaranteed up regardless today.
Don't know if you noticed, but 6.5s are becoming harder to find in the Stanley Cup playoffs. We won't see them again in Pens-Flyers, at least not alt totaled. Couple of other series we won't. So hopefully you pounced on those or just have been hammering alt U7.5s in parlays as I mentioned in Discord because those have been cashing. I don't love, love this 6.5 so will do a half, but I do like that it's in Boston, where the Bruins are just different defensively and so is Jeremy Swayman (2.18 GAA at home in RS compared to 3.26 away). Not going to be mega-upset if this is 3-3 at regulation, though. Super-fun series so far. Zero opinion on side.
Will take a shot on this only as Cam Schlittler is from Boston and attended college less than a mile away from Fenway at Northeastern University. He apparently has been getting threats simply because he pitches for the Yankees entering his first career start at Fenway. That's obviously pretty sad, so I know Aaron Boone will try and get his guy a W if at all possible tonight to pour salt in the Red Sox wound. Schlittler was brilliant at Yankee Stadium in beating the Sawx in last year's Wild-Card round Game 3.
I'm getting the much better team -- at least so far -- on an eight-game winning streak playing at home getting +1.5 at nearly the same price as the slumping road team's moneyline. Yeah, I'm going to play something on that. I get why the Phillies are favored behind Cristopher Sanchez (2-2, 1.59 ERA), but the Cubs saw him 10 days again and had a little success. Chicago's Edward Cabrera (2-0, 2.38 ERA) can be as dominant as anyone. Also as wild, so that's his thing. The Phils haven't seen him in 2026, and Cabrera had good numbers against them in 2025 while with Miami.
So I can either play Tigers F5 -0.5 at -150 (thought would be the choice and why I went to look) or Brewers F5 +1.5 at -140. Think I have to take Milwaukee at that quite cheap number even facing Tarik Skubal. Winds are blowing in a bit at Comerica Park today so obviously that should help keep runs down. Brewers pitcher Brandon Sproat has allowed just one run in back-to-back outings. Obviously if he does that again, we cash even if the Brewers don't score in the first five. If they can just push one run across, I feel pretty good as the Tigers aren't all that great offensively.
Both sides are fighting to avoid relegation with Levante needing the three points much more sitting second-to-bottom in the La Liga table with 29 points and Sevilla fourth-from-bottom with 34. The Frogs won the reverse fixture 3-0 in January and have just one loss in their past six overall in league play (three wins). Sevilla had lost three in a row before a home win over Atletico Madrid last time out. The side has only four road wins this La Liga season and just one in its past 11. This probably draws.
I didn't see anything from Monday's 4-3 Edmonton victory to make me think this would not cash again. Yeah, it was tied 3-3 late (told you I wouldn't play U6.5s in this series; also why I refuse to play -1.5) but statistically the Oilers mostly dominated -- at least in periods 1 and 3. And that mediocre Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal allowed four goals with Connor McDavid stunningly not getting a point ... well that just doesn't bode well for Dostal in Game 2. That was Edmonton's first win this entire season when McDavid was scoreless. The 60-minute line should be fine Wednesday if wanted to bring this down.