Matt's Picks (2 Live)
I'd be fine with 1.25 at a lower number, but will be quite ticked off if this loses because I have been going back and forth all day on this and Egypt moneyline so hopefully I chose "wisely." Since the Rays just cashed for me, I'll spin that into this. The All Whites are supposedly one of the weakest teams in the field but they looked pretty good to me in the opening draw with Iran -- which is ranked six spots higher in the world than Egypt is. A Kiwis upset would be their first WC victory ever and put them in the knockout round. Egypt has never won a WC game either. Draw works just fine thank you.
Had not planned on playing this game but Fernando Tatis Jr. is sitting for the Dads, so now I will throw a half unit down. He's having a disappointing year but still a potential game-changer. Should make life a bit easier on Rangers starter Nate Eovaldi, although he has been rather hit or miss lately.
The Rays at home have been very profitable for us this season -- but so glad I didn't play them yesterday like I nearly did. Sometimes the best bets are the ones you don't make! End of a trip for the Nats and I doubt that one of their top relievers in Brad Lord is available after throwing 36 pitches on Saturday. Tampa Bay's Nick Martinez is 4-1 with a 3.02 ERA at the Trop this year.
Cabo Verde looks lovely in pictures, but I don't know much about it. Just for giggles, I asked AI to chart an itinerary to get there and it cost $2100 and takes one day and two hours from Florida (is that via Titanic or what?). So guess no Cabo Verde for me. It's the last -1 on our board and I will admit that sometimes I am guilty of playing something simply because it's there if that makes sense. Uruguay ranks 45 spots higher via FIFA and probably only a draw gets us, but DNB is way too pricy. They really all have been lately.
Well the Snakes certainly owe me after allowing 16 runs on Saturday -- the Twins might not score 16 in the next week combined. I still believe Arizona +1.5 was a gift (if you had told me pre-game it would score 8 at home, i would have bet a dangerous amount and now be at a soup kitchen), but we move on. Minny is playing better of late but still well under .500 away and it's the end of trip. Don't know a ton about Twins rookie pitcher Mike Paredes but he seems quite mediocre.
Huge number, yep, but absolutely, positively Arizona should not be getting this. So I'll throw the Marlins money into this one and at worst an even for the day. Although yeah I think this wins. I don't really understand the pricing to be honest and obviously I am paying out the nose for that insurance. I'm fine with it.
I am definitely getting better at domestic soccer because I know where to look. The WC is a bit trickier but I'm a tad surprised being offered 3.5. Ecuador is a defensive dynamo that had 13 clean sheets in qualifying and then allowed the one in an opening WC loss to the Ivory Coast. That's all I got ... have been to Ecuador if it matters, albeit briefly on the way to somewhere else in South America. I'd love to see Curacao, which is off the coast of Venezuela.
Holy Moly, I need to argue with the missus and storm out angry more often to Mom's as I raked Friday. Funny how when you don't check pitch-by-pitch do well as opposed I don't think I have ever checked a game live where the team I am betting against has not immediately scored. Don't get me started on OT/extra innings. But an optimism Train to Busan today, although that train didn't work out (great flick). I could walk up to 10 people on South Beach and ask them if they know who Marlins pitcher Max Meyer (7-0, 2.85 ERA) is and four would speak German (wearing brown socks), four would say "no comprendo" and the other two punch me. Meyer has been awesome.
Christian Pulisic has been ruled out for the USA and really all this is. With my limited soccer knowledge, he is our top striker. Falorin "Flo" Balogun seems to have taken Pulisic's place as our top goal-scoring threat, but a low-scoring draw actually benefits both sides in terms of advancing. And you'd think fewer scoring chances for the USA without Pulisic.
Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski, a name I simply cannot type correctly until the third try, is so fun to watch, and I'm not really into the heat (or homers). But he's a lightning bolt. Only -129 to simply not win at the team with the second-best record in baseball? Yep. I have nightmares the Miz's arm rips off someday throwing so hard in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre-type deal (perhaps don't run toward the shed of chainsaws). Sadly, tonight isn't against Chris Sale like it was supposed to be, but I address that in my CBS Sports SGP on this game.
So delighted to read about how the Tartan Army has taken over the Boston area with their partying that I don't care about this price. There are obviously ways you can knock this down (1.25), but I do want to get over +1 against a better Morocco team. But I'm positively rooting for Scotland to advance as long as possible, and it certainly will have the fan edge in Foxborough. If they come to Miami, I might have to don a kilt and head on over there. Looks so fun. A win and the Scots do advance. I rather doubt that but a draw or one-goal loss works. The Scots have scored nine goals in their last three games. Also like BTTS.
If know me at all, will know that I try to have an opinion on these Cubs standalone Friday matinees. Their best advantage in these -- I call it the "Bueller" as in Ferris not Walker -- is when they were off Thursday and the other team was not. Tough to fly in and play that quick turnaround. It doesn't happen that often, but it's the case today for the Jays. I'd probably go higher if it weren't excellent Toronto pitcher Kevin Gausman. But a few relievers behind him are likely not available and he's often not the same away. I hope the Cubs walk nine times against Gausman. "Nine times!?" -- see I'm doing my Ferris Bueller principal Ed Rooney thing. So awesome.
So I have been doing OK as I have avoided the "swoon." This way up, this way down. Not too much either way. Fine. This is criminally fair on the Rays, who are crazy-good at home. Decent price as it's far from Tampa Bay's best pitcher (Griffin Jax), but it's not like Nationals fans travel. Do Nationals fans exist?
Aaron Nola is not having a good year for the Phils but usually pitches well against the Mets -- and counterpart Sean Manaea is certainly nothing to write home about. A lot of Phillies hit Manaea pretty hard career and such a cheap number for the better team at home. Dunno, it's hard for me to see as I just got back from the eye doctor. Everything has that "Maddie halo" from Moonlighting in the 1980s. Maybe I'm dead, but I still taste old Slim Jim in the gums and I really hope that's not in the afterlife. Half unit.
Switzerland utterly dominated Qatar, outshooting the opponent 26-6 with an xG of 3.20, in the opener but was held to a 1-1 draw, while Bosnia played quite well against Canada to also earn a draw. Thus, neither of these countries can move on or be eliminated from advancing today. The Swiss were thought to be the best team in Group B and their toughest game vs. Canada remains, so they better win today. This will be the sides' first-ever competitive fixture.