The Reds just got back to Cincinnati off a successful six-game road trip where they went 5-1. They had Thursday off, and they met the Tigers and Framber Valdez today. Rain is expected today with temperatures at 74° and the wind blowing out to left field at 9 mph. Valdez has been excellent in his last two starts, while Andrew Abbott is looking for last year's groove. Buy low, sell high. The bet is on Abbott finding himself aided by the best bullpen in baseball.
The Lakers have won and covered their last five games, and they've been doing it without Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic. It's quite an amazing transition, and I think LeBron James likes the power he has in this role. He's put the team on his back, and he's showing great leadership. More importantly, LeBron is having fun, which could spell bad news for the Rockets. They beat the Rockets twice in back-to-back March games at Houston, and now they've won four in a row. The Lakers aren't going away, and I think they cover Game 3.
The Timberwolves deserved to win Game 2 because they won all the statistical battles, including 48% from the field, 41% from 3-point range, and 49 rebounds. The only thing Minnesota did worse than Denver was commit 12 turnovers to Denver's 9. But I immediately bet the Nuggets following the Game 2 loss. Nikola Jokic is a big man and takes a lot of abuse that isn't called a foul. The Timberwolves got away with prodding and poking non-fouls, and then said they found a secret way to slow Jokic down. You got all these relaxed rules in the NBA, yet Jokic gets the 1990 Pistons-like thuggery treatment. I think the referees will wake up to what's going on in Game 3. Nuggets to win.
Where do the Suns go from here after losing Game 1 badly to the Thunder, 119-84? I think the first thing the Suns need to do is pick up the pace because the defense they want to play in a low-scoring game is not stopping the Thunder at all. The Suns shot only 35% in Game 1 and had 17 turnovers. The Thunder just played their regular game and put up 119 points on only 30% 3-point shooting. They shot 45%, which is less than their season average (48.3). I'm going with the Suns to force tempo and get this game over with a better performance from their 3 leaders.
The Angels have won all five of Jose Soriano's starts, and he's allowed only one run. He's had 28 strikeouts between his last three starts, but best of all, the Angels have won by two runs or more in each game. Believe it or not, he was an underdog in his first three starts of the season. Beyond Soriano's great start to 2026, this bet is also about Eric Lauer starting for the Blue Jays, who have lost his last two starts. In his last start, he allowed seven runs in 5.1 innings to the Twins. Beautiful day expected in Anaheim with 9 mph winds blowing to right field. Angels to win.
The Astros lead baseball with 17 overs on the season, and I think they're going to go over again on Tuesday at Cleveland. Ryan Weiss is expected to be the Cleveland starter. But the main reason for taking the Astros over again is their bullpen continues to have trouble with their 5.88 ERA, allowing 70 runs, which is the most in baseball. The weather is supposed to be 71° with the wind blowing out to right field at 10 mph and a 10% chance of rain. Cleveland starter Parker Messick isn't going to give that much, so it's got to be the Astros that allow most of the scoring. The over is the play.
The Raptors caught the Cavaliers flat by winning all three meetings on the season before November 24th. That was the complete opposite of the previous season, when the Cavaliers won all four meetings. The Cavs won Game 1, which gives them an 8-0 advantage against Toronto in their last eight playoff meetings in Cleveland. Toronto lost by 13, but they shot 52% from the field, 48% from 3-point range, while attempting 35 free throws, with the only negative being they turned the ball over 17 times. I think it'll be hard for the Raptors to duplicate their Game 1 play in Game 2. The Cavs haven't been 100% healthy all season, but they are now. Unfinished business after last year's collapse. Cavs to cover.
I think we have a great over opportunity in the Braves-Nationals game despite it being 54° and wind blowing in from left field at 13 mph. The Nationals have gone 15-7 to the over on the season, hitting at 68.2% of their games, and they're going against one of the hottest hitting teams in baseball. The Braves are No. 2 in hitting at .277 and also lead baseball with 122 runs scored on the season. Washington starter Jake Irvin has given up 11 runs between his last three starts, while Atlanta’s Bryce Elder has gone over the total in his last two starts. Over is the play.
The Suns and the Thunder split their four games this season, but the Suns' last win was on the last day of the regular season, when Oklahoma City didn't play anybody. The Suns have made a massive transition in the postseason where there’s an apparent directive to have Jalen Green take the most shots while leading scorer Devin Booker has been pushed aside, as well as Dillon Brooks, who had the best year of his career. I'm sure they're not happy about the transition and lack of shots, which leads me to believe that this team might be hungry for the first game at OKC. That's a lot of points. Game 1 is where they can surprise them and contend for the win. Suns cover.
The Mets have lost nine games in a row, while the Cubs have scored in double digits in their last three games. The Cubs bats are in a groove, and they've won four of their last five games while scoring 47 runs combined. The Mets have been without star slugger Juan Soto since April 5th, and he's not likely to return until Tuesday. Part of the Mets horror story in 2026: in Freddy Peralta's best two starts of the season, he allowed one run in each, and both were losses for the Mets. The weather favors the hot Cubs bats as it's expected to be 51° with 16 mph winds blowing out the right field. Cubs to win.
Logan Gilbert has stayed under the total in his last three starts, including April 6th against Jacob deGrom and the Rangers. DeGrom has been pitching his best over his last two starts, allowing only one run each and staying under in both. Seattle has a slight edge being at home, but they're only hitting .209 on the season, which ranks 28th in baseball. Seattle has stayed under in 11 of their 21 games. The under is the play.
The Rangers have won Jacob deGrom's last three starts to start the season, and in his last two, he looked like classic deGrom by allowing one run each, including 11 days ago in a 2-1 win over the Mariners. He faced Logan Gilbert on that day, and the Mariners lost three in a row to start the season until his last start, when he beat Houston, 6-1. The Rangers hit .231 as a team, but in night games, Gilbert is allowing batters to hit .281 and sits at a 5.40 ERA. Texas to win.
It'll be interesting to see how the Cubs and Mets respond to winds blowing out to left field at 15 mph at Wrigley Field with temperatures at 69°. For the Mets, they've lost eight in a row, where they've scored two runs or fewer in seven of the games. For the Cubs, they just got their hitting on track, scoring 35 runs in their last four games and winning the last two at Philadelphia by scoring in double digits. Edward Cabrera is making his fourth start for the Cubs, and he's only allowed three runs between his first three starts. Kodai Senga allowed seven runs in 2.1 innings during his last start. I'm going with the team that has found its rhythm. Cubs win.
The Sixers beat the Magic 2 out of 3 this season, with 2 of the games going over the total, but the last meeting was on January 9th. The first two games went way over the total in the 227.5 range, and now we're looking at a total of 222. Playoff droppage of the total. Orlando won 45 games this year and also went over the total 45 times. I like how the Magic won five of their last six games, scoring 123 or more in four of the wins. They play better when playing freely. In two of the Sixers' wins in their last 10 games, they scored 153 or more. They also scored 126 on Milwaukee Sunday. Over is the play.
Devin Booker stepped up in his last six games, going over his personal total posted in five of them. He's taking on his veteran leadership role and leading by example at the most critical time of the season. He scored 30 points or more in his last three games and five of his last six. The team will rise with Booker, and they all know what time it is. It’s time for Book to cook. Over.