Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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05-08-21 | Hurricanes v. Predators +107 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 107 | 10 h 52 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #70 Saturday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 8:05 ET - The Hurricanes have now locked up the #1 spot in the division. The Predators can clinch a playoff spot with a win tonight. With the Preds having won 16 of 26 on home ice and the Hurricanes having won 16 of 26 on enemy ice this season, one could argue that this line should be a pick'em under normal circumstances. That said, there is huge value here because these are not normal circumstances and yet Nashville, even after some early line movement this morning, are still a small dog here. I will grab the value with the highly motivated home dog here. Of course the Hurricanes have been hot and want to keep winning heading into the post-season, but I just do not see the Canes as being able to match the intensity of the Preds in this one as they look to punch their ticket to the post-season. 10* NASHVILLE |
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05-08-21 | Phillies v. Braves OVER 9 | Top | 7-8 | Win | 100 | 10 h 40 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #911 Saturday 10* OVER the total in Atlanta Braves vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 7:20 ET - I know that Ian Anderson has solid numbers for the Braves this season but this will be the 3rd time already that the Phillies are seeing him this year. Philadelphia got to him for 4 earned runs in 5 and 1/3 innings in most recent chance against him. Also, the Phillies lineup is getting healthier again with both Bryce Harper and Jean Segura returning yesterday. Additionally, Philly is red hot with 5 straight wins and the Phillies have scored an average of 6 runs per game last 6 games. Vince Velasquez gets the start for Philadelphia here. I do not trust this guy. I know he has had a couple of decent starts recently but he'll struggle here. He is 1-6 with a 5.02 ERA against the Braves and has allowed 6 earned runs in 7 and 1/3 innings spanning his last two starts at Atlanta. With yesterday's 12-2 Phillies win, the Braves O/U is 11-3-1 in their 15 home games this season. Look for that high-scoring trend to continue here. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta |
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05-08-21 | Pistons v. 76ers OVER 220.5 | Top | 104-118 | Win | 100 | 11 h 30 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #569 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs Detroit Pistons @ 7:10 ET - The Sixers could rest some players here, particularly Joel Embiid, coming off last night's game. However, keep in mind, people always seem to underestimate the defensive value of a player like that. So the total drops in cases like this but yet the weakened defense is an issue. Last night Philadelphia and New Orleans had a high-scoring game through early 4th quarter but then the game just died at that point and stayed under the total. Why? Because it ended up being a tight game late with key possessions featuring plenty of defense during the stretch run of the 4th quarter. I just do not see this game playing out that way. 7 of the last 8 meetings between the Pistons and 76ers have resulted in an over and I do not expect much defense in this one. Philly expended a lot of energy on the defensive end and now hosts a Detroit team that is simply playing out the string on the season. In other words, what do they care about defense? Exactly! So even though the Pistons come in on off a couple of unders and overall trending under in recent weeks, the play here is the over as these teams make it 8 overs in the last 9 meetings. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia |
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05-08-21 | Southampton v. Liverpool -1.5 | Top | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 16 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach EPL Saturday 10* Top Play Liverpool Goal Line -1.5 goals -125 vs Southampton @ 3:15 ET - Liverpool has played better than their recent results would indicate. They have simply just missed converting after creating some fantastic scoring chances. I feel confident they will get their just rewards in this one and come up with a multi-goal victory over Southampton. For one thing this is a revenge match because of what happened in the reverse fixture earlier this season. Additionally, Southampton is horrible in terms of conceding goals as travelers as they have allowed 38 goals on the road this season and that is the worst mark in the league! Look for Liverpool, hungry for a dominant win to avenge the earlier season defeat with a convincing victory here. Liverpool, as host versus Southampton, has won the two most recent matches by a combined score of 7 to 0. Look for a victory for them on their home pitch by at least a 2-goal margin in this one. 10* LIVERPOOL |
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05-07-21 | Phillies +141 v. Braves | Top | 12-2 | Win | 141 | 9 h 21 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #957 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line +140 @ Atlanta Braves @ 7:20 ET - The knee-jerk reaction here is to grab the Braves on their home field considering the Phillies poor road record so far this season. However, Philadelphia has actually alternated wins and losses in last 6 road games and lost their most recent road game so look for them to get right back into the win column here. There is simply too much line value being offered to Zach Eflin and the Phillies in this one. The Braves are heating up but so too are the Phillies. Also, Atlanta's Charlie Morton has given up 4 earned runs or more in 3 of his last 4 starts. Conversely, Philadelphia's Eflin has given up 2 earned runs or less in 4 of his 6 starts this season. Also, the Phillies could get both Bryce Harper and Jean Segura back for this one. Additionally the bullpen is in great shape because Zack Wheeler gave the Phils a complete game yesterday. Closer Hector Neris has been rested since his long save against the Brewers Monday while Coonrod and Alvarado picked up the saves Tuesday and Wednesday. Again, no bullpen was needed yesterday in Wheeler's shutout win over the Brewers and so the Phillies relief corps is in great shape for this one and the lineup could get a boost too as noted above. The Braves are a solid team for sure but the Phillies are right there with them and I like Wheeler over Morton here plus the situational value leading to big underdog value too good to pass up on in my opinion. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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05-07-21 | Pelicans v. 76ers UNDER 227.5 | Top | 107-109 | Win | 100 | 9 h 42 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #548 Friday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs New Orleans Pelicans @ 7:10 ET - The 76ers, not including OT points of course, have allowed just 99 points per game during their current 6-game winning streak. Philadelphia is favored by 9 here. A 108-99 final would fall 20 points below the current number posted on this game. Certainly I am not saying it will necessarily be that low-scoring but the Pelicans do have some injury issues here and Philly wants revenge for losing the 1st meeting between these teams this season. By the way, that game totaled only 195 points. The 76ers have lowly Pistons on deck for tomorrow so they will be fully focused on the defensive end in this one and the Pelicans have another non-conference match-up on deck for Sunday so New Orleans should bring a fully focused effort on the defensive end for this one as well. The Pelicans have stayed under in 6 of last 7 games and the only over in that stretch was an OT game. It did go over in regulation but not by much and the point is that the Pelicans recent averages were skewed a bit by the one outlier game last 7 games. The other 6 games saw New Orleans allow an average of 108 points and score 111 points on average. That is a 219 average and, again, well below the posted total on this game. 10* UNDER the total in Philadelphia |
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05-07-21 | Flyers +166 v. Capitals | Top | 4-2 | Win | 166 | 8 h 0 m | Show |
Big East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #33 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +165 @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Blackhawks, Canucks, and Devils all won yesterday. What in the world does that have to do with this play? A helluva lot actually! All 3 of those teams will NOT be going to the playoffs but they are playing loose and relaxed hockey as a result. I know Vancouver is still mathematically alive but, trust me, they know the handwriting is on the wall and they are not going to make it. They are on the verge of elimination. So the point is that all 3 of those aforementioned teams were on the road and they were facing playoff-bound hosts that were all favored by at least -200 and one was above the -300 mark! The point is that a lot of underdog value was there with those 3 upsets and that was on a card with 6 games yesterday. So looking for the big dogs can pay off big late in the season like this. For Friday, this is another such situation. Washington is a nearly 2 to 1 favorite and is playoff bound and they are hosting a Philly team that will not be going to the playoffs. The Flyers will play loose and relaxed. Philadelphia has a long history of rivalry with the Capitals and would love nothing more than to spoil their hopes of winning the division. The Caps are off a very emotional 2-game set with the Rangers that featured the Tom Wilson incident in the first game which spilled into all-out brawls in the 2nd game of the set. That could leave Washington a little spent here while the Flyers are well rested and have been off since Tuesday and are in bounce back mode off an ugly loss. Washington has lost 4 of last 6 on home ice. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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05-07-21 | Newcastle United v. Leicester OVER 2.5 | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 23 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach EPL Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Leicester vs Newcastle @ 3 ET - Both teams gunning hard for the full 3 points in the table in this one. Leicester trying to secure a top four spot and Newcastle trying to secure safety from the relegation zone. I do not see either club earning a clean sheet in this one and I do not expect a 1-1 draw either. As a result, we should see at least a 2-1 match here. Leicester is off a 1-1 draw with Southampton and that was deeply disappointing for them. They will respond here and 8 of 10 preceding matches in Premier League action had totaled at least 3 goals. Newcastle is off a disappointing 2-0 loss to Arsenal but that followed a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Liverpool which was preceded by a run of 4 straight matches that all totaled 3 or more goals. Also, the last 3 matches between Leicester and Newcastle have all totaled 3 or more goals. Leicester home matches averaging 3 goals this season. Newcastle's road matches have seen them allow 1.6 goals per match. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Leicester |
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05-06-21 | Bulls v. Hornets OVER 217 | Top | 120-99 | Win | 100 | 11 h 55 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #533 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs Chicago Bulls @ 7:10 ET - The O/U is a perfect 5-0 the last 5 times these teams have met at Charlotte. The Bulls have not been scoring well recently but they should get a big boost tonight. It will be the first time in a long time that both Lavine and Vucevic will be on the floor together. They are both expected to play tonight and you will see a different Chicago team tonight than you have seen in quite some time. Though I expect this to result in the Bulls scoring much better than they have been, I also expect the Hornets to score well. Charlotte has averaged 111 points per game last 6 home games. Bulls are favored here by a bucket or so for a reason. In other words, based on the above, you can why this game is likely to get into the mid-220s and yet we are dealing with a total in the 217 range as an opener. I will grab the value for a top play. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte |
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05-06-21 | Blackhawks v. Hurricanes -1.5 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -120 | 10 h 17 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #28 Thursday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Puck Line -1.5 goals -120 vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 7:05 ET - With the way the playoffs are structured for this season, it is ultra important for the Hurricanes to finish with the top spot in their division. They fully realize that and have been taking care of business and I expect more of the same here. Carolina has won 5 straight games and 4 of the wins came by at least a 2 goal margin. Going further back, 10 of the last 11 Canes wins have come by a margin of 2 or more goals. Hence the comfort level here with laying the 1.5 goals because, of course, we are not going to be laying the huge money line price that has been set on a game like this. By utilizing the puck line, we only have to lay a price of about -120 here. While the Hurricanes have been red hot, the Blackhawks fell apart down the stretch and found themselves eliminated from post-season contention. Chicago has lost 6 straight games and 4 of the 6 were by a margin of 2 or more goals. In fact, 8 of the Blackhawks last 10 defeats have been by 2 or more goals and I expect more of the same here. 10* CAROLINA -1.5 goals -120 |
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05-06-21 | Braves v. Nationals OVER 9 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -103 | 6 h 54 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #905 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves @ 4:05 ET - Yesterday's game barely stayed under the total. Look for today's game to make up for it. Yes, Jon Lester has good career numbers against the Braves and did have a strong first start to begin this season with the Nationals. However, couple comments on that. His only start this season came against the Marlins and that is not a team I am impressed by in terms of their lineup. Also, though Lester has had success against Atlanta, it has been awhile since he faced them. Though that most recent outing was a successful one against the Braves, it followed him allowing a combined 5 homers in his other 2 most recent outings versus Atlanta. Despite his strong career numbers, most of that success against the Braves is from many years ago and I feel strongly he is not the same pitcher he once was. Like Atlanta's lineup, Washington's lineup should also have a big game at the plate today. The Nationals will take advantage of facing a struggling Drew Smyly. Yesterday notwithstanding, the Nats have hit very well against southpaws this season and the lefty Smyly has some ugly stats of late. Smyly had a respectable start against Washington earlier this season but since then he went 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA over three starts. He allowed 8 homers in those 3 outings and I expect more struggles today. 10* OVER the total in Washington |
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05-05-21 | Celtics v. Magic OVER 218.5 | Top | 132-96 | Win | 100 | 11 h 60 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #515 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics @ 7:05 ET - The Magic are 14-4 to the over last 18 games. The Celtics are 5-0 to the over last 5 games. The most recent match-up between these teams resulted in an under but this followed a run of 3 straight overs in meetings between Orlando and Boston. Not only are the Celtics 5-0 to the over last 5 games, the Magic are 5-0 to the over last 5 home games. I am going to test these two perfect trends here and look for a very high-scoring game in this one as Orlando does tend to shoot the 3-ball much better when at home. The Celtics, not including OT, have averaged 120.5 points per game last 4 games. 10* OVER the total in Orlando |
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05-05-21 | Capitals v. Rangers +125 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 35 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #6 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line +125 vs Washington Capitals @ 7 ET - The Rangers are incensed that Tom Wilson was not suspended for the fracas in the Monday game that led to a brawl on the ice and left New York without Artemi Panarin for the rest of the season. Granted the Rangers are eliminated from the playoffs and there are only 3 games left for New York but none of this is sitting well with this team. Not only is this a big time revenge game for the Rangers after what happened on Monday, it is also their final home game of the season. I am banking on the Rangers being ready to go in a huge way. Yes Panarin is a key loss for New York but the Rangers are going to be extremely motivated to win this game! Also, the Capitals are expected to be without Kuznetsov plus Ovechkin has been downgraded to doubtful for this game. Oshie, Shultz, Samsonov also are all listed as questionable for this one. Yes the Caps are going hard for 1st place in the division but, especially after what happened Monday, you know the Rangers are going hard here in hopes of playing the role of spoiler. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS +125 |
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05-05-21 | Brewers v. Phillies +122 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 122 | 9 h 35 m | Show |
ACTION for the pitchers! Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #958 Wednesday 10* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line +120 vs Milwaukee Brewers @ 7:05 ET - Chase Anderson is starting to settle in a bit as a Phillies starter. He also is a former Brewer. You know he is going to be up for this start as this is his first shot at his former team since he was jettisoned from Milwaukee a couple years ago. We are getting great line value here because Freddy Peralta has great numbers for the Brewers so far this season. However, his only two road starts were at Chicago against the Cubs and that is a team that struggled badly to score runs at home early this season. Why is this so significant here? It is because Peralta is known for struggling on the road and so I am not putting too much weight into two starts at Wrigley Field when the Cubs were not hitting well. Also, they did get to him for 5 hits in 4 innings in his 2nd start there. Now take a look at Peralta's career road stats: 2020 - 5.28 ERA, 2019 - 7.04 ERA, 2018 - 5.36 ERA! As for Anderson, he has not worked too deep into games but his only truly bad start was at Colorado and Coors Field is the most hitter-friendly park in majors. As for his other 4 starts, Anderson has a 3.50 ERA. As a home dog here, the Phillies offer solid line value as they are 11-6 at home this season. Too much value, in my opinion, to pass up on given all of the above. 10* PHILADELPHIA +120 |
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05-04-21 | Indians v. Royals OVER 8.5 | Top | 7-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 41 m | Show |
MLB is a play even though Phil Maton now expected to start for the Indians. Maton is just an opener. Sam Hentges still expected to get the bulk of the work. Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #921 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Indians @ 8:10 ET - I know these are generally two of the weaker offenses in the majors but the Royals have hit pretty well at home this season and the Indians have won 6 of 8 games and have averaged scoring 6.2 runs per game in those wins. Cleveland should have no trouble with a struggling Mike Minor. The Kansas City left-hander has allowed 5 homers in his last 3 starts and that includes outings against the Tigers and Pirates which certainly are not exactly teams known to have powerhouse lineups. I know Minor has some history against the Indians but his current form is off. As for Cleveland's starting pitcher, Sam Hentges is making his first ever MLB start. He has given up 3 homers in his 3 appearances this season and, overall, has been hit quite hard. More of the same expected here as the Royals have scored an average of 6.2 runs per game last 5 games. This total opened up at a 9.5 and has dropped to an 8.5 and I like the added value here after the line move. 10* OVER the total in Kansas City |
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05-04-21 | Nets +2 v. Bucks | Top | 118-124 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 34 m | Show |
TV Game of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #505 Tuesday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 7:40 ET - Chance at immediate revenge for Brooklyn after losing a tight one at Milwaukee on Sunday. The Nets did outrebound the Bucks in that game but were done in by turnovers. Also, the Bucks were simply the better shooting team that night and, even with all that, the Nets still lost the game by just a very slim margin. I expect the Nets to shoot better tonight and get payback. Brooklyn is 5-1 SU this season when they enter a game off back to back losses. The Nets were on a 29-8 run prior to now suffering back to back defeats. They will respond here. The Bucks had lost 10 of 19 prior to now coming up with back to back wins. 10* BROOKLYN |
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05-04-21 | Penguins v. Flyers +149 | Top | 7-3 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 20 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #64 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +150 @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - Fully understand the Flyers being a +150 dog again today but it is simply not justified. Especially this is true because Casey DeSmith left yesterday's game with an injury. That forced Tristan Jarry, today's starting goalie, into action for the Penguins. Pittsburgh is simply over-priced here. Jarry has some ugly numbers against the Flyers this season and, though Philadelphia is eliminated from post-season contention, they have already shown what they can do when motivated. Philly is always motivated when facing Crosby, Malkin, and the in-state division rival Penguins. They will bring another strong effort on home ice and have their better goalie, Brian Elliott, instead of Alex Lyon, between the pipes for this one. This is simply too much home dog value to pass up on. The markets will be all over the Penguins in this one but the goalie situation, confidence factor after yesterday's game, home ice edge, hungry dog mentality and line value all add up to a great spot to back the Flyers again. 10* PHILADELPHIA +150 |
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05-03-21 | Rangers v. Twins OVER 8.5 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 11 h 30 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #961 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Twins vs Texas Rangers @ 7:40 ET - Rangers games have stayed under in 5 of last 6 games. However, with yesterday's 5-3 win, Texas has scored a total of 13 runs last two games. I like the odds of a high-scoring match-up here even though I am not a big fan of the Rangers lineup. The fact is that the Twins lineup showed signs yesterday that they are ready for a surge. Minnesota scored 13 runs Sunday and the over is now 5-0 last 5 Twins games. With Kenta Maeda and Dane Dunning on the mound for this one, we should see plenty of fireworks from each lineup. Maeda has given up 3 homers in each of his last two starts. Those starts were on the road and normally he is a much better pitcher when at home. However, he did give up 7 hits in less than 5 innings of work in his lone home start this season. As for Dunning, he has allowed 9 earned runs in less than 8 innings of work combined in his last two outings. These lineups do not have much experience against these hurlers and that is the one drawback here. However, with the way these two starters are going and the fact that both lineups have helped produce a couple recent big wins, the over looks like a solid play in this one. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota |
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05-03-21 | Magic v. Pistons OVER 213 | Top | 119-112 | Win | 100 | 12 h 42 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #565 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic @ 7:10 ET - There are two teams that have already been eliminated from post-season contention in the Eastern Conference and here they are matched up against each other. The result? Very little defense because, seriously, who cares about this game? It should be played very freely and openly and the odds makers know this. They opened up this total higher than the closing line of the total in the first two match-ups. Both those games stayed under the total by a double digit margin. That said, why would this game have a higher total than those two games given the results of those games? Exactly! The point is that the odds maker knows the same thing we know here. There should not be a lot of defensive intensity in this one. By the way, the over is 13-4 in Orlando's last 17 games. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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05-03-21 | Capitals -106 v. Rangers | Top | 6-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 42 m | Show |
WASHINGTON -105 - The Capitals could have Ovechkin back on the ice tonight but, either way, I do like the Caps a lot in this spot. For all intents and purposes, after back to back ugly losses to the Islanders, the Rangers season is over. They are not yet mathematically eliminated but the Rangers would have to win all 4 remaining games and have the Bruins not earn a single point from any of their 6 remaining games. That is not happening and the Rangers are going to struggle to pull it all together for this game. For Washington, there is no shortage of motivation as they are now in 2nd place in the division but only 2 points behind the Penguins and they have a game in hand on Pittsburgh. Also, the Caps have Ovechkin back on the ice and skating again in practices so they know his return is imminent which is also a big boost to the club. Washington is 3-1 this season when entering a game off exactly 2 consecutive losses. In other words, only once this season did the Capitals have a losing streak reach 3 or more games. Off back to back losses entering this game, look for the Caps to improve to 4-1 on the season when in this situation. 10* WASHINGTON |
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05-03-21 | Jets v. Senators OVER 6 | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 23 m | Show |
10* OVER 6 in Ottawa - The Jets Connor Hellebuyck is struggling badly. The Senators tend to score better when at home and have remained competitive late in the season as their fate for this year was sealed long ago and they actually are playing better now than they have been most of the season. Ottawa, however, still struggles to stop teams and the Jets are on a losing streak and anxious to end it here on the road. Winnipeg has been scoring better on the road than at home and I am looking for a high-scoring game tonight given all of the above. The Jets have averaged 3.7 goals per game last 11 road games. The Senators have been averaging 3 goals per game on their home ice. I am looking for a 4-3 type game here. Prior to the Jets 3-2 win staying under the total 3 weeks ago, 7 of 9 meetings between these teams had totaled at least 6 goals and I fully expect this one will as well. Winnipeg is angry and looking for a breakout game offensively but they also have allowed 4.3 goals per game last 6 games. 10* OVER 6 in Ottawa |
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05-03-21 | West Ham United v. Burnley OVER 2.5 | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 18 h 5 m | Show |
Early Annihilation - Rickenbach EPL Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Burnley vs West Ham @ 3:15 ET - Burnley off a 4-0 win versus Wolverhampton so they will be ready to go here as they try to move further away from any threat of relegation and got a boost in confidence with the blowout win. West Ham also will be pushing hard for the full 3 points in the table here because they still have hopes of a top four finish. That took at hit with a 1-0 loss to Chelsea but there was no real shame in that as the defensive level of play since Thomas Tuchel took over at manager at Chelsea has been incredible. That said, West Ham will be looking for a breakout game on the attack in this one at Burnley after being stifled by Chelsea. You have read about this scenario with me before right here but again this is one of those spots where I do not expect either side to deliver a clean sheet. In other words, each club scores at least a goal. Additionally, neither team willing to settle for a draw here because each club needs the full 3 points in the table as noted above. So we should see at least a 2-1 final here and we are working with a total of 2.5 goals on this one. I will take it! Prior to the low-scoring loss to Chelsea, each of West Ham's last 4 matches totaled 5 or more goals! Additionally, West Ham entered the match with Chelsea on a run of 7 of 9 matches totaling at least 3 goals! Burnley is on a run of 5 straight matches totaling at least 3 goals and those actually averaged 4 goals per match. So look for plenty here as this one sets up well for plenty of offense. 10* OVER the total in Burnley |
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05-02-21 | Nets +1.5 v. Bucks | Top | 114-117 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 60 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #549 Sunday 10* Top Play Brooklyn Nets (+) @ Milwaukee Bucks @ 3:40 ET - The Nets are off a loss but it was without Kevin Durant as he was rested. He'll be back for this one and Brooklyn is 9-0 SU the last 9 times when off a loss and here we can grab them without laying any points so I am testing this 9-0 situation. I know Giannis will be back for the Bucks here too but how healthy will he be? Also, the Nets won the first meeting and I know Harden played in that one and he is out for this one but Irving did not play in that one and he is back for this one. Plus Brooklyn won that game despite a 17-5 turnover deficit. That will not happen again with Irving on the floor in my opinion. Also, the Nets were strong on the glass in that one and I look for more of the same here. Keep in mind the Bucks are just 10-10 SU last 20 games. Couple that with the fact that Brooklyn has been so strong off a loss and you have the ideal set-up here. Many will be enticed to take the Bucks here as Milwaukee is known for being so strong at home but, there is plenty of reason as to why this game is priced this way and I am going contrarian and grabbing the Nets in this one as they get it done on the road. 10* BROOKLYN |
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05-02-21 | Lightning -1.5 v. Red Wings | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -121 | 7 h 27 m | Show |
Puck Line Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Sunday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Puck Line -1.5 -120 @ Detroit Red Wings @ 3:05 ET - The Red Wings won yesterday's game 1-0 in the shootout by a ratio of nearly 2 to 1 as the Lightning nearly doubled them up in shots on goal. Also, they used Thomas Greiss yesterday while TB used Curtis McElhinney. Certainly is was not the Tampa Bay goalie that led to the loss but, the point is, one of the best goalies in the NHL will be back in his crease for this one as Andrei Vasilevskiy gets the start for the Lightning. If Greiss goes again here it would be the 2nd game of a back to back situation and so, no matter who Detroit starts here, I like our chances for a big road rout. Tampa Bay wants payback and they know how important these points are in the standing as they still chase the #1 spot in the division as the post-season quickly approaches. Prior to yesterday's tight low-scoring loss, the Bolts had won 3 of their last 4 road games and all 4 of those games were decided by a multi-goal margin. In fact, the average margin of victory in those contests was 3 goals. Look for this one to be decided by at least a pair of goals and the road team responds with a determined effort here. 10* TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING Puck Line -1.5 goals -120 |
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05-02-21 | Cubs v. Reds OVER 8.5 | Top | 12-13 | Win | 100 | 3 h 24 m | Show |
NL Total of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #905 Sunday 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs @ 1:10 ET - Yesterday the 3-2 Reds win over the Cubs was one of the very few games that did not go over the total on Saturday. Not surprisingly, a total here that opened up at a 9 has been bet down to an 8.5 as of early Sunday morning and I love the additional value we are getting here. Of course the odds makers opened up this total at a 9 with good reason and now we get some additional value with the 1/2 run drop on the number at the books. The fact is that the Reds have been one of the top hitting teams when at home this season and they should pound Trevor Williams. He has shown a pattern in recent seasons that has continued right into this season as well. Williams can be solid in evening starts and particularly when at home but his road starts and his day game starts have left plenty to be desired. I look for Williams to get pounded here. As for Tyler Mahle, I am well aware that he has solid numbers. But the Cubs have hitters that have enjoyed success against him. Also, even though he was able to escape his most recent start relatively unscathed, Mahle did have multiple guys on base in 3 of the 5 innings and was somewhat fortunate to escape without much damage being done. He will not be so fortunate this time around and the ball should carry well in a mild afternoon game at Great American Ballpark. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati |
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05-01-21 | Pistons v. Hornets OVER 214 | Top | 94-107 | Loss | -107 | 8 h 10 m | Show |
Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #529 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Charlotte Hornets vs Detroit Pistons @ 7 ET - Long-time followers know I use this theory a lot. The theory I am talking about is that when a lot of players are out for teams the betting markets automatically adjust for the "points per game" that are out of the lineup when the reality is that defense, rebounding, and flow of the game is impacted too. A lot of times teams become a little disorganized and you see less structure and more of just going up an down the floor quickly and trying to get quick shots with good looks at the basket. That is what I expect to see here. I know the first meeting stayed under the total but that was largely because of one horrific quarter in terms of scoring. In EACH of the other 3 quarters the teams combined to put up least 52 points and average in the upper 50s per quarter. That said, also consider the lack of motivation for the Pistons to play much defense here. The season is almost over and it has been a bad one for Detroit so why would they aggressively D up here? Exactly! The Pistons have allowed 119 points per game last 8 road games. The Hornets have allowed an average of 111 points per game last 8 games overall. 10* OVER the total in Charlotte |
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05-01-21 | Devils v. Flyers OVER 6 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -108 | 12 h 30 m | Show |
Big East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #7 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Flyers vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers season is over now after a 5-3 loss at New Jersey Thursday followed losing 6-4 to the Devils on Tuesday in a wild game. It is hard to keep defensive intensity up when you realize a season you entered with such promise is ending in disappointment. You would not get much argument from NHL experts if you stated Philadelphia as the biggest disappointment in terms of underachievement in the NHL this season. That said, they can still score plenty on this Devils team. That New Jersey win on Thursday was their 2nd in 11 games and a big reason for that is that the Devils have allowed an average of 4.5 goals per game their last 15 games. However, New Jersey has scored an average of 3.8 goals per game their last 8 games and will continue pushing here against a long-time rival. That said, #1 goalie Carter Hart is done for the season for Philly due to an injury. Brian Elliott has struggled against the Devils with 19 goals allowed in his last 5 starts against them. If Alex Lyon gets the start, he has allowed 9 goals in his 2 starts. It is not all on the goalies either. That is for sure because a big issue has been Philadelphia's defensive play. I expect this to be a continuing theme in this game and for the over to improve to 5-0 in last 5 meetings between these two. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia |
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05-01-21 | Rangers +121 v. Islanders | Top | 0-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 7 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #9 Saturday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) @ New York Islanders @ 7:05 ET - The odds are getting slimmer for the Rangers to make the post-season but they most definitely are not going to quit fighting until they are officially eliminated from contention. Also, this is a rivalry game for them and they are fired up after losing the last two meetings with the Islanders by a combined score of 10 to 1. This includes a 4-0 shutout loss Thursday and note that the Rangers are 7-2 the last 9 times they have entered a game off a loss. The Islanders got that big W over the Rangers Thursday but this was preceded by 3 straight losses and defeats in 6 of their last 9 games overall. Back in the first half of March the Islanders were really dominating games and winning big. However, since then, the Islanders have played 22 games and only won 5 of them in regulation. That is not a mistake...is very real...the Isles have just 5 wins prior to the final horn of regulation in 22 games! I know a win is a win as they saying goes but those are some striking numbers! I am grabbing the road dog for immediate revenge off the shutout loss. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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05-01-21 | Mets v. Phillies -121 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -121 | 7 h 40 m | Show |
PA Dominator - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #956 Saturday 10* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (-) vs New York Mets @ 6:05 ET - The Mets have been horrible on the road this season. The same is true for the Phillies and both teams are struggling at the plate. But the key here is that Philadelphia is strong at home and that continued with yesterday's 2-1 win. It was tight and not pretty but it was a win nonetheless and the host is now 6-1 in 7 games between these rivals this season. Now Zack Wheeler faces his former team again and he is off a fantastic start. I know Taijuan Walker is also off a strong start for the Mets but he struggled badly in his lone road start this season. Fluke? Maybe not! Walker got hit at a .302 clip in road games last season! Phillies 9-4 at home and Mets 3-7 on the road. Wheeler, along with Eflin and Nola, is one of the top 3 starting pitchers for the Phillies and arguably was their top guy last season. That said, getting him at a low price here at home is a bargain. The price is right because Walker has good numbers. It is not a trap line. But the key here is that Walker sometimes struggles on the road and I am banking on that being the case again here. By the way, Wheeler is a perfect 5-0 his 9 starts at home with the Phillies. More of the same here. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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05-01-21 | Aston Villa v. Everton OVER 2.5 | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 8 h 3 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach EPL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 2.5 goals in Everton vs Aston Villa @ 3 ET - Yes Everton is still chasing a top four spot and does have a game in hand in comparison with Chelsea. However, with how strong Chelsea has been since the managerial change, the likelihood of them blowing their top four spot lies somewhere between slim and none! That said, neither club in this Saturday match-up is facing much pressure truly. I expect the goals to be flowing well as a result. Aston Villa's last 4 matches have all totaled 3 or more goals and have averaged 3.5 goals. Everton's matches on home soil this season have averaged 3 goals per match. The last 5 times that Aston Villa and Everton have squared off, the matches have averaged 3.4 goals. Everton is off a 1-0 win over Arsenal but their match previous to that totaled 4 goals! Overall, Aston Villa has conceded 2 goals in 4 of its 5 matches. With Everton allowing 1.6 goals per match at home this season, you can see why I am expecting at least a 2-1 final here with 2-2 or 3-2 also having potential as well. Either way, Aston Villa's current form should insure this match gets to at least 3 goals. 10* OVER 2.5 goals in Everton |
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04-30-21 | Hawks +9.5 v. 76ers | Top | 104-126 | Loss | -113 | 11 h 55 m | Show |
Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #513 Friday 10* Top Play Atlanta Hawks (+) @ Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:10 ET - The Hawks are off back to back blowout losses and the Sixers are off back to back blowout wins with the latter of the two coming on Wednesday when Atlanta got destroyed as a 9.5 point dog at Philadelphia. This line is the same as the line was Wednesday even though the 76ers won the game by 44 points. The odds makers must not know what they are doing, right? Of course that is not the case! The fact is that the Hawks should be healthier for this game and could even have Trae Young back on the floor which would be huge for them. Either way, with Atlanta having been embarrassed in two straight games and the Sixers rolling to back to back blowout wins, this is the perfect spot to bank on an underdog response and a favorite to fade. It is just natural for the motivation to be much higher for the Hawks here and as long as they stay within single digits, we cash our ticket. I fully expect that here. 10* ATLANTA |
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04-30-21 | Jets +102 v. Canadiens | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 22 m | Show |
North Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #65 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - The Jets have lost 5 straight games but they still hold the edge in this match-up. Cary Price has been out with a concussion and so Jake Allen has been shouldering the load for the Canadiens. It has not gone so well as the Habs enter this game losers in 9 of their last 13 games. Also, Allen is 3-8 in home starts for Montreal this season! Overall the Canadiens have won just 10 of 23 home games this season. Winnipeg has won 16 of 25 road games as they have been better as travelers. The Jets have won 7 of last 9 meetings with the Habs and that includes 6 of the 8 meetings this season. Connor Hellebuyck has had a couple rough starts recently but he is still a great goalie and coming off a game in which he allowed only 2 goals. He also has allowed a total of only 2 goals in his last 2 starts against the Canadiens and both of those were this month and both were at Montreal. More of the same here and the Jets series dominance continues! 10* WINNIPEG +102 |
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04-30-21 | Mets v. Phillies +135 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 135 | 9 h 42 m | Show |
NL Game of the Week - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #904 Friday 10* Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (+) vs New York Mets @ 7:05 ET - This one is all about the value. Starting pitching gets so overplayed in the betting markets and that can lead to value for sharp cappers. That does not mean we win all the sharp plays of course but where there is value it is wise not to pass up on the opportunity. The Phillies have not hit that well this season but they have hit better at home than on the road and the Mets have not hit well at all no matter where they have played! Also, New York is 3-6 on the road this season while Philadelphia is 8-4 at home. So why are the Mets priced in the -150 range here? Marcus Stroman! Yes he has good numbers this season but so too does Jacob deGrom but what has that gotten him? Exactly! The Mets simply can't hit right now and adding to the misnomer of Stroman being worth the price here, he just allowed 6 earned runs in less than 4 innings against the Nationals. I know all the hits were singles but the runs still count the same! Now he faces the Phillies for the 3rd time already this season and in the last meeting, in his 2nd time through the order, he allowed the leadoff guy to get on base in each of his final 3 innings on the mound. Stroman was fortunate to escape that one unscathed. Chase Anderson, like Stroman, is off a rough start but that was at hitter-friendly Coors Field in Colorado. Anderson has faced the Mets twice this season and held them to just 5 hits in a combined 9 innings! This is simply too much home dog value to pass up on given all of the above. 10* PHILADEPHIA +135 |
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04-29-21 | Red Sox v. Rangers OVER 8.5 | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -113 | 11 h 49 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #965 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox @ 8:05 ET - Even though they only scored 1 run yesterday, the Red Sox will feel good about themselves after getting the upset win over Jacob deGrom and the Mets. That will lead to some extra confidence at the plate here and I feel Kyle Gibson is over-rated right now. His early season performance has been great but this is still the same Gibson who had a 4.84 ERA in 2019 and went 2-6 with a 5.35 ERA last season in 2020. In other words, there is going to be a regression to the mean very soon for Gibson and I expect it to begin right here. The Rangers right-hander has great numbers this season and did a good job of inducting ground ball contact in his most recent start. However, he also benefitted from a couple of guys caught stealing and he got out of a big bases-loaded jam at the end of his start. A good number of hard hit balls in that start and Boston enters this game having won 16 of 22 games so they will come with bats ready to go right away. The Red Sox will need all the runs they can get because Texas will likely pound Martin Perez. The Boston southpaw struggled as spring training went on and that same pattern has carried right into the regular season. Perez has given up 11 hits plus walked 4 while allowing 6 earned runs in just 7 and 1/3 innings his last two starts combined. Yes that is a WHIP over 2.00 and when you are allowing 2 base runners per inning it is only a matter of time until you get into big trouble. Rangers off tight 4-3 loss last night bounce back at the plate tonight. 10* OVER the total in Texas |
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04-29-21 | Mavs v. Pistons OVER 214.5 | Top | 115-105 | Win | 100 | 11 h 58 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Pistons vs Dallas Mavericks @ 7:10 ET - Each team has some injury question marks heading into this one but I feel that has given us solid line value heading into this one. The total has simply been set low to adjust for the injuries but both Porzingis and Richardson for Dallas have missed each of the last 3 games but were upgraded from doubtful to questionable for this one. Also, even without those guys, the Mavericks have averaged 116 points per game last 3 games. The Pistons Josh Jackson is not on the injury report for this one after missing Monday's game with an illness and so I am expecting him back for this one. Detroit has some extra confidence after getting the win over Sacramento on Monday. The Pistons have covered 6 of their last 9 games so, even though their season has been miserable, Detroit has been competitive recently. That also makes me like the over even more here and the Pistons have scored an average of 110 points last 13 games. Dallas is about an 8 point favorite here and you see the two scoring averages I mentioned above. 117 to 109 would sound about right for this game if the odds makers are right about the spread. Note that this final score would put the total double digits above what the odds makers have posted. In other words, line value! 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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04-29-21 | Flyers v. Devils OVER 6 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 1 m | Show |
East Div Total of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New Jersey Devils vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers season is effectively over now after losing 6-4 to the Devils on Tuesday in a wild game. It is hard to keep defensive intensity up when you realize a season you entered with such promise is ending in disappointment. You would not get much argument from NHL experts if you stated Philadelphia as the biggest disappointment in terms of underachievement in the NHL this season. That said, they can still score plenty on this Devils team. That New Jersey win on Tuesday was their 1st in 11 games and a big reason for that is that the Devils have allowed an average of 4.5 goals per game their last 14 games. However, New Jersey has scored an average of 3.4 goals per game their last 7 games and will continue pushing here against a long-time rival. That said, #1 goalie Carter Hart is still likely out for Philly with injury. Brian Elliott has struggled against the Devils with 15 goals allowed in his last 4 starts against them. If Alex Lyon gets the start, he has allowed 9 goals in his 2 starts. It is not all on the goalies either. That is for sure because a big issue has been Philadelphia's defensive play. I expect this to be a continuing theme in this game and for the over to improve to 4-0 in last 4 meetings between these two. 10* OVER the total in New Jersey |
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04-28-21 | Hawks v. 76ers -7.5 | Top | 83-127 | Win | 100 | 10 h 35 m | Show |
Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:05 ET - When you think of the Hawks you probably think of Trae Young. Atlanta's star point guard is absolutely the guy that makes this team go. That said, with Young out with an ankle injury, the Hawks are currently a shell of the team they normally are. Atlanta is off a 14-point loss at Detroit and now faces a much tougher test with this game at Philadelphia. Not only are the 76ers known for a being one of the best teams in the league when at home, they play this game with revenge for a loss by double digits at Atlanta earlier this season. The Sixers have been angry after some recent sub-par performances but are getting healthier again as evidenced by their 120-91 blowout win over the Thunder on Monday. They will continue to take out their frustration of some recent losses by pulverizing the next team in their path as well. This is the first of back to backs between these teams as they meet again on Friday so there is no lookahead here. The 76ers will be fully focused here as a result and that is bad news for a Hawks team that will really miss Trae Young in this one! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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04-28-21 | Blues +133 v. Wild | Top | 4-3 | Win | 133 | 9 h 5 m | Show |
West Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #37 Wednesday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line +135 @ Minnesota Wild @ 7:05 ET - The Blues are off a dominating win over Colorado Monday. They won the game 4 to 1 and completely stifled and frustrated the Avalanche as even down 4 to 1 and putting all their efforts into trying to get offense going to get back in the game, the Avs struggled badly. Colorado could hardly even get the puck into the offensive zone and then when they did they could not sustain any pressure and the Blues would quickly get the puck out of the zone. It was a like a clinic on how to stop a potent offense and I fully expect St Louis to carry that momentum right into this game. I expected Binnington to get the start in goal and he has been solid. The Blues enter this game with 5 wins in their last 8 games. I know the Wild have won 7 straight games but Minnesota has played Arizona 3 times, San Jose 3 times, and Los Angeles 1 time. Those teams are all below St Louis in the standings. Conversely, the Blues have beaten Vegas once, Colorado twice, and Minnesota twice for the 5 wins during their 5-3 run. All of those teams have clinched a playoff berth. So yes the Wild are a good team and particularly when at home but there is a reason the odds makers opened this game up with Minny as a very small fave. Of course the public jumped all over the Wild on home ice and now all the line value is with the Blues. They have the goalie edge in this match-up no matter who is in goal as, against, all of Minnesota's wins came against weaker teams. This Blues team still has a lot to play for and they have proven that with their recent play on the ice. Also, St Louis has been better on the road than at home this season. The Blues have won 3 of last 4 meetings between these teams and their 3 victories came by a combined score of 16 to 4. Road rout likely here which will surprise everyone but not me. Look for the Wild to be flat after too many days off between games and also after having now clinched a playoff spot. 10* ST LOUIS |
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04-28-21 | Nationals +155 v. Blue Jays | Top | 8-2 | Win | 155 | 10 h 13 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #929 Wednesday 10* Top Play Washington Nationals Money Line +155 @ Toronto Blue Jays @ 7:07 ET - These teams bullpens are about even though the Blue Jays have the lower ERA. I say that because the WHIP and BAA is about even for these bullpens so far this season. Now about these starting pitchers. On the surface it looks like a mismatch in favor of Steven Matz but I believe strongly that this will prove not to be the case. Erick Fedde has treated me well in recent years. He is one of those guys you do not hear a lot about but actually has solid stuff when he is on and that is the case right now. Fedde has a 3.07 ERA in his last 3 starts and has been piling up strikeouts. He has another key edge over Matz here. The Blue Jays hitters have very little familiarity with Fedde. On the flip side the Nationals hitters have plenty of familiarity with Matz because he is a former Met so he was with a division rival his entire career until this season. Last year he went 0-2 with a 13.94 ERA in 3 games (2 starts) against the Nats! This one has the makings of an underdog upset at a great price and I am stepping out large with this one. The Nationals have had a rough start to this season but the Nats are 4-0 the last 4 times they entered a game off a loss in which they allowed 6 or more runs. They bounce back from yesterday's defeat in a shocker here. The Blue Jays are off back to back wins but are 0-3 this season when they enter a game off back to back victories! 10* WASHINGTON +155 |
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04-27-21 | Phillies v. Cardinals OVER 8 | Top | 2-5 | Loss | -126 | 10 h 20 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #955 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 7:45 ET - This total is already showing signs of moving to a solid 8.5 across the board from its opener of an 8. On the surface, a respected starter like Martinez and an up and coming starter like Eflin, who has pitched well last year and this season, would seem to indicate a pitchers duel here. In typical contrarian fashion though, I am on the over in this one. The reason you saw a potential pitchers duel have the total move higher is because of some sharp thinking and I concur. For one thing it will be a very mild evening in St Louis with a decent wind blowing out toward left-center. Additionally, the Phillies Zach Eflin has struggled more on the road than at home throughout his career. The Cardinals Carlos Martinez has struggled more in night games than day games in recent seasons. Also, Martinez is 0-4 with a 6.00 ERA this season and he went 0-3 with a 9.90 ERA last season. He has now gone winless in his 9 starts made the last two seasons combined. The reason I am on the over rather than the Phillies is because I do expect Eflin to get hit here. These teams already saw these pitchers this season and now get a 2nd shot at them and Eflin's road struggles on a hitter-friendly evening at Busch Stadium are absolutely a concern here. Look for a surprising slugfest to break out in this one. 10* OVER the total in St Louis |
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04-27-21 | Blazers v. Pacers OVER 234 | Top | 133-112 | Win | 100 | 11 h 41 m | Show |
Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Indiana Pacers vs Portland Trail Blazers @ 7:10 ET - Neither of these teams has been playing particularly well on the defensive end to say the least. Indiana, not including OT points of course, has allowed an average of 119 points per game last 13 games. Portland has allowed an average of 115 points per game last 11 games. That only puts this game right around the number of 234 for the point total but that would be if this was an "average" game but I do not expect that to be the case here. This is a non-conference match-up which can bring a decrease in defensive intensity and both teams have proven, especially in recent games, they are happy to play at a faster pace. Look for a up tempo game here with both teams willing to employ the "run and gun" approach in this one. Both teams shot uncharacteristically poor from 3-point land in the first meeting and it stayed well under the total. That game total was 228 and it stayed under by 30 points as it totaled only 198. Yet here we have a total posted a half-dozen points higher even though the first game missed going over the total by a mile. What does that tell you? Exactly! The odds makers are quite sharp...but we are too! 10* OVER the total in Indiana |
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04-27-21 | Flyers -132 v. Devils | Top | 4-6 | Loss | -132 | 9 h 30 m | Show |
Perfect Ten Play - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #27 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - I am happy to put this 10-0 streak to the test. Playing against the Devils each of their last 10 games would have netted you a perfect 10-0 run at the betting window. Indeed New Jersey has lost 10 straight games and the Devils have lost 14 of 15 and 16 of 18. Sure they should have beaten the Flyers but that late rally for Philly that featured two late goals from their captain to tie it which led to an eventual shootout win is huge for momentum. Yes the Flyers are highly unlikely to make the playoffs but they still have 4 more games (including this one) that are against these struggling Devils. Until they are mathematically eliminated I feel you will not see any quit from Philly. Also, we get line value here since the Flyers are on the road but here is what is funny about that. Philadelphia is better on the road than at home this season and the Devils are worse at home than on the road this season. Yet home ice is always priced into the line and in this case it favors us because New Jersey has won just 4 of 24 home games this season. You read that right, the Devils have won just 16.7% of their home games on the year. I do not often lay prices but great price on this one here and is a very fair price especially considering all of the above factors. Look for the 10-0 run against New Jersey to make it 11 straight! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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04-26-21 | Jazz -10 v. Wolves | Top | 104-105 | Loss | -107 | 12 h 26 m | Show |
Northwest Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #545 Monday 10* Top Play Utah Jazz (-) @ Minnesota Timberwolves @ 8:10 ET - The loss of Donovan Mitchell to an ankle injury is, no doubt, a big one for the Jazz. However, after they lost their first game without him to the Lakers (tough spot as was 2nd game of B2B) they got to face LA again in their next game and blasted them by double digits. Then their next game was a blowout win at Houston in which they destroyed the Rockets by 23 points. Now, after a home loss to the Timberwolves Saturday, the Jazz get a shot at immediate revenge with this game at Minnesota tonight. I am expecting a massive win here as they are determined to get payback and have already proven they can win by big margins against bad teams even when they are without Mitchell. The clincher for me is this nice little nugget about the Wolves. The last 7 times Minnesota entered a game off a SU win, the Timberwolves have gone 0-7 ATS! Blowout time! 10* UTAH |
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04-26-21 | Angels v. Rangers OVER 8.5 | Top | 9-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 25 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #919 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Texas Rangers vs Los Angeles Angels @ 8:05 ET - I expect Mike Trout back in the lineup for the Angels in this one. Either way I like the over a lot here. This total opened at a 9 for a reason but is down to an 8.5 in some spots as of early game day morning and I am going to jump on it. These lineups just faced these same pitchers last week. I know the Angels Shohei Ohtani has a low ERA and has given up few hit hits in his first two starts this season but he also walked 11 in just 8 and 2/3 innings on the bump. Ohtani also is making his first road start and he has struggled much more on the road (6.20 ERA) than at home in his career. The Rangers counter with Jordan Lyles. He is off to a decent start for the Rangers this season but has allowed 5 homers in his 4 starts. Keep in mind this is a guy with a 5.21 ERA in his career and he went 1-6 last season with a 7.02 ERA. I feel strongly that he is being given far too much respect here against a potent Angels lineup and I expect Ohtani's struggles to continue in terms of command of his pitches. Additionally, the only bullpen in the AL with an ERA higher than the Angels and Rangers is the Tigers. In other words, this match-up also features two of the worst bullpens in the league. 10* OVER the total in Texas |
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04-26-21 | Avalanche v. Blues OVER 6 | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 39 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #69 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Blues vs Colorado Avalanche @ 7:05 ET - My first thought here was playing the Avalanche with revenge. However, I simply can not trust their goaltending situation right now. Francouz has been out with injury. Grubauer is back from covid protocol but, if he plays, it would be his first action in two weeks! Dubnyk has been the guy for now and he is certainly not in top form right now after allowing 4 goals in the 5-3 loss at St Louis Monday. I do like the Blues Binnington in net but he is going to face a barrage of shots from a revenge-minded Avalanche team here. Also, Binnington has not fared well at all against Colorado this season. He has allowed 3 or more goals in each of his last 5 starts against the Avs. With Colorado coming out flying in this one but having a concern in terms of keeping the Blues from scoring, this one offers solid value with the over 6 currently available at plus money. I will take it! 10* OVER the total in St Louis |
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04-25-21 | Devils v. Flyers OVER 6 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 33 m | Show |
Big East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #63 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Flyers vs New Jersey Devils @ 6:05 ET - The Flyers are struggling so bad defensively that, even though Carter Hart might be back in goal for this one, Philly is likely to give up plenty of goals. Philadelphia has been one of the biggest disappointments in the NHL this season and a lot of it has had to do with being unable to stop the opposition. This is the same reason the Devils continue to struggle. New Jersey enters this game having gone just 1-11 last 12 games and having allowed an average of 5 goals per game in the 11 defeats! Overall, 10 of the Devils last 12 games have totaled at least 6 goals and this is likely to be another barn-burner involving New Jersey. The Flyers have lost 5 of last 7 games and allowed 4.2 goals per game in regulation time of the 5 defeats. Philly should score well here against the struggling Devils but New Jersey has averaged 3 goals a game in last 4 match-ups with the Flyers. That is why I am expecting this one to fly over the total. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia |
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04-25-21 | Grizzlies v. Blazers UNDER 235.5 | Top | 120-113 | Win | 100 | 9 h 39 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #522 Sunday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Portland Trail Blazers vs Memphis Grizzlies @ 4:10 ET - This game starts at 1 pm local time and sometimes you see some poor shooting in earlier start times particularly on a weekend. What I like the most about this situation is this total has just kept climbing and climbing in match-ups between these teams this season. I realize that the over is 3-0 last 3 meetings but now this total was posted at a 235.5 and it has simply gone too far in my opinion. Yes, these teams totaled 258 on Friday but I consider that to be an aberration. Note that Portland's 8 games preceding that one all totaled 225 points or less. 8 straight games with 225 points or less and now we are seeing a total posted on this game that is 10 points higher than that. I realize that the Grizzlies have been scoring a lot of points of late but the Trail Blazers will be ready to play some better defense here after allowing Memphis to shoot 53% from the field in a home loss for Portland on Friday. It is a revenge game for the Blazers and while I do not trust them to get the win because they have lost 4 straight games and 8 of 10, I do expect some better play on the defensive end in this one. Good value here on a total that has simply gone too far. 10* UNDER the total in Portland |
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04-25-21 | Phillies v. Rockies OVER 11 | Top | 2-12 | Win | 100 | 6 h 36 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #959 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 3:10 ET - Jon Gray has great numbers so far this season but historically has had higher ERA numbers versus left-handed bats and the Phillies position players will likely include 4 of the 8 stepping in on that side of the box for this one at least. Additionally, if the right-handed bats of Realmuto and Hoskins are in the lineup note that the former is one of the best sticks the Phillies have and the latter is a streaky hitter that is currently on fire again. Hoskins has hit 4 homers last 4 games. The Phillies Chase Anderson is also likely to struggle here as he has a 6.66 ERA in his 5 career starts at Coors Field. It will be a warm afternoon in Denver so I expect the ball to be jumping off the bats in this one too. Additionally this game features two of the worst bullpens in baseball, statistically, so far this season. 10* OVER the total in Colorado |
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04-25-21 | Bruins -104 v. Penguins | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -104 | 7 h 59 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #59 Sunday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line (-) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3:05 ET - There is a reason this game is priced at a pick'em even though the Penguins are on home ice and have been fantastic there this season while the Bruins have not been as strong on the road. For one thing, it is a back to back for Pittsburgh. For another thing, Boston is now getting much healthier. Bergeron is the only concern but at least Coyle is back now if Bergeron misses again. However, I expect him to play. Either way, I like the value with the road team here. Their goalie situation also has stabilized with good health now. 10* BOSTON |
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04-25-21 | West Bromwich Albion v. Aston Villa OVER 2.5 | Top | 2-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 17 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach EPL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 2.5 goals in Aston Villa vs West Bromwich Albion @ 2 ET - Aston Villa is having troubles defensively partially due to injury issues. The fact is that Aston Villa - 1-3 last 4 matches - has conceded 2 goals in each of its last 3 losses and scored 3 goals in the lone win during this stretch. Aston Villa has not managed a clean sheet in any of its last 5 matches and they themselves have only been kept off the scoresheet once in their last 5 matches. Aston Villa has had only 2 draws result from 15 matches on their home pitch this season. West Bromwich has had only 4 draws in 16 road matches this season. So the odds of a draw are slim. The odds of either club not scoring, based on Aston Villa's recent performances, are also quite slim. That explains why I fully expect at least a 2-1 final here. This match should get to at least 3 goals and we are working with a total of 2.5 goals. It has been a disappointing campaign for West Bromwich and they are desperate for 3 points in the table to keep their slim hopes alive in terms of avoiding relegation. West Bromwich has seen each of their last 3 matches total at least 3 goals and these have averaged 4.3 goals apiece. With both teams having some issues at the back we should see some nice scoring opportunities in this one! 10* OVER 2.5 goals in Aston Villa |
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04-24-21 | Avalanche v. Blues +147 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 147 | 7 h 40 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #42 Saturday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line +145 vs Colorado Avalanche @ 3:05 ET - I am aware that Grubauer might be back in goal for the Avalanche soon after being on the covid list. However, even if he played today, it would be his first game in nearly two weeks and he likely would be rusty. That means we are likely to see Dubnyk in goal here. I know he has won his first two starts for Colorado but this is still a guy who has twice as many losses as wins on the season and he is facing a determined an hungry Blues team here. St Louis won the first meeting of the season but has since lost 5 straight games versus the Avalanche. That said, the Blues want this game badly! Colorado could again be without Donskoi and Rantanen for this game for covid reasons. The Avalanche have been outshot by a combined 61 to 57 in the last two meetings and both games were very tight. This time the Blues get over the hump and I like the home dog value here. Binnington is 40-14-9 in home starts for St Louis the last 3 seasons combined and this game is critical for the Blues as they continue to battle for the #4 spot in the standings and the corresponding playoff spot that goes along with it. 10* ST LOUIS |
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04-24-21 | Raptors v. Knicks OVER 215 | Top | 103-120 | Win | 100 | 5 h 23 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Knicks vs Toronto Raptors @ 1:10 ET - Each of the first two meetings between these teams this season have gone under the the total and that is keeping this total lower than it should be. Also, this total has made a downward move already which is offering us additional value. The O/U opened up at a 217.5 and is now down to a 215 as of early gameday morning. The last meeting was a 102-96 low-scoring loss for Toronto. However, the Raptors enter this game loaded with confidence courtesy of a 4-game winning streak which has seen them average 114 points per game! Speaking of confidence and winning streaks, New York has won 8 straight games and, not including OT points, has averaged 112.4 points per game during this winning streak. As you can see, if these teams just hit their recent averages you are looking at this game landing the 225 to 230 range and we are working with a total much lower than that. Also, small line on this game which means it is expected to be a tight finish which means we could some late scramble points - a lot of late fouling from the losing team followed by jacking up quick threes to try and close the gap. I do not think we'll need that but that also helps the value aspect of this play should it come down to that. The Raptors are 5-1 to the over the last 6 times they have been a dog and the Knicks are on a 5-1 run to the over their last 6 games. 10* OVER the total in New York |
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04-24-21 | Chelsea v. West Ham United OVER 2.5 | Top | 1-0 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 27 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach EPL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in West Ham United vs Chelsea @ 12:30 ET - Chelsea has only won 1 of its last 4 in premier league action. Chelsea seems to be getting fatigued late in the season as they also have played matches recently in English FA Cup action and in the UEFA Champions League. This match on Saturday will be Chelsea's 4th since April 13th. To put that in perspective, the hosts in this one will be playing for just the 2nd time over the same span. Indeed West Ham is the more rested club in this one and they have been strong at home this season. West Ham has only lost 3 times on their home pitch and has tasted victory 9 times as a host in this campaign. However, the issue for West Ham is they struggle at the back and allow far too many goals. The suspension of Craig Dawson for this one certainly will not help in that regard. That said, I do expect West Ham to enjoy some success on the attack but fail to slow down a Chelsea attack that led to a 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture earlier this season. I am aware that Chelsea has a tendency to play very low-scoring matches and I certainly respect their play defensively. But Brighton & Hove played them nearly even in a scoreless draw Tuesday and now Chelsea visits a West Ham club known for cashing in more of their opportunities as they are a much better club than Brighton of course. That is why this is a battle for a top four spot in the table and, from that standpoint, one might expect a tight low-scoring contest. However, each of the last 4 matches for West Ham have totaled at least 5 goals and certainly I expect we can get to at least 3. West Ham has BOTH scored 2 or more and conceded 2 or more in each of its last 4 games! 10* OVER the total in West Ham United |
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04-23-21 | Phillies v. Rockies OVER 10.5 | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 51 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach MLB 10* OVER the total in Colorado Rockies vs Philadelphia Phillies @ 8:40 ET - I can not believe the Phillies are starting Velasquez here. I realize he is filling in for another struggling hurler, Matt Moore, because of covid-19 protocols. However, don't the Phillies have any other option and want to give a young guy a chance? Velasquez has pitched 4 innings this season so he has recorded 12 outs but he also has walked 8 batters - an average of 2 per inning. This guy has proven time and time again that he is shaky, often pitches himself into jams, and just can not be successful at the MLB level. He is 19-28 since the 2017 season and has an ERA north of 5.00 during this span. As for the Rockies, I know German Marquez has been solid this season but the Phillies are not a good match-up for him. They have a number of hitters whom have enjoyed success against him. Also, Philadelphia enters this game off back to back games in which they scored at least 6 runs. The Rockies have scored at least 5 runs in 4 of their last 6 games. If we get this game to 5-5 we have a guaranteed winners as the posted total is 10.5 and the game would have to end 6-5 at a minimum. I know the Rockies have trended under this season but both these starting pitchers likely to get hit hard, both of these bullpens have ranked poorly so far this season, and both lineups swinging the sticks quite well in recent games. 10* OVER the total in Colorado |
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04-23-21 | Wizards v. Thunder OVER 229.5 | Top | 129-109 | Win | 100 | 13 h 36 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #571 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Oklahoma City Thunder vs Washington Wizards @ 8:10 ET - The Wizards have won 6 in a row and the Thunder have lost 12 in a row so, of course, this match-up caught my attention. However, just like I can't trust Oklahoma City to stay within 9 points here I also can't trust Washington to win by double digits on the road. Indeed a big number hung on this one by the odds makers in terms of the spread. What I do like here is the over because you have the stronger and hotter team on the road and you know they should score like crazy here and, at the same time, the home team should "get theirs" as they play loose and relaxed at home. Note that the Thunder are allowing 123 points per game during their losing streak. The Wizards are allowing 116 points per game last 10 road games. I could easily see this game getting to the 240 range and it is priced in the 230 range. Keep in mind, Washington has averaged 120.5 points during their current win streak and now take on a team not playing solid defense to say the least. Quite a track meet likely here. 10* OVER the total in Oklahoma City |
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04-23-21 | Flyers v. Rangers OVER 6 | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -120 | 11 h 10 m | Show |
Big East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #29 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Rangers vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:05 ET - We have great line value here in my opinion. Yesterday the goalies were Elliott and Shesterkin and the total went off at 6.5 goals in a lot of spots. Even though the game was low-scoring there were plenty of shots on goal. Today the Flyers are expected to go with Alex Lyon between the pipes and it is highly doubtful that Shesterkin will go again for the Rangers in the 2nd game of a back to back. That said, look for plenty of goals in this one as neither team has their top goalie between the pipes. In fact it could be a match-up of #3 goalies. The last two meetings between these teams stayed under the total but, prior to this, 4 straight match-ups between them had totaled 7 or more goals. Those 4 games averaged 8.5 goals per game and I feel we are in line for another wild one between these clubs tonight. The goalie match-up very favorable for a high-scoring barn-burner. 10* OVER the total in New York Rangers |
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04-23-21 | Everton +295 v. Arsenal | Top | 1-0 | Win | 295 | 8 h 49 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach EPL Friday 10* Top Play Everton +300 @ Arsenal @ 3 ET - Neither club has been playing well of late but Everton is getting some key players back for this one and they have had excellent away form this season. Everton is a superb 9-3-3 on enemy pitch this season and note that Arsenal has won only 6 of 16 matches on home soil in this campaign. Everton has only lost 1 of the last 4 meetings with Arsenal and make for a true "live dog" here with the return of some players boosting their confidence as well. Since Arsenal has also been playing UEFA Europa League matches, Everton should have the fresher legs here as well. This will be Arsenal's 5th match dating to April 8th while it will be only the 3rd match for Everton. Also, will Arsenal have been somewhat distracted by the entire proposed, and recently abandoned, idea of a European Super League. Either way, I fancy the odds of an upset win for the big road dog in this fixture and feel they should not be priced in the 3 to 1 range but that is what we can get with them here. Great line value. 10* EVERTON +300 |
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04-22-21 | Mets v. Cubs OVER 9 | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -115 | 11 h 45 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach MLB Rotation #903 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Cubs vs New York Mets @ 7:40 ET - Last night's game went crazy. Even though it took a number of strange occurrences for the Cubs to have that break-out 7-run 4th inning yesterday, it helped lead the way to a completely unexpected 16-4 win. That is the type of confidence-boosting win, even if fueled by errors and misplays on the part of the opposition, that can fuel a big run for a team at the plate. The Cubs will now step into the batters box with a lot more confidence tonight and the Mets Joey Lucchesi certainly did not impress in his first start of this season. Additionally, the New York southpaw has a 7.20 ERA in his two career starts at Wrigley Field. Speaking of struggles at Wrigley Field, that certainly has been the case for Trevor Williams throughout his career. Even including two surprisingly solid starts at home this season, Williams has a 5.93 ERA in ten career appearances at Wrigley Field. The Mets have mostly trended under this season and the same is true for the Cubs. However, yesterday's game featured each team getting to double digits in hits and the weather for this one will be better than it was for the hitters last night. In fact, the wind is expected to turn around to the southwest for this game and that could help even more. Not a strong wind but still a light breeze blowing out at Wrigley Field is a good thing for overs which is what I absolutely expect here. 10* OVER the total in Chicago Cubs |
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04-22-21 | Suns v. Celtics +5.5 | Top | 86-99 | Win | 100 | 11 h 46 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #556 Thursday 10* Top Play Boston Celtics (+) vs Phoenix Suns @ 7:10 ET - The Suns barely got by at Philadelphia and the 76ers were without two starters as Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris missed that game. Now Phoenix takes on a Celtics team that also has some injury issues but is expected to have both Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart back for this game. Also, it is the 2nd game of a back to back for Phoenix and the Suns are on a 1-3 ATS run in this situation. Additionally, the Celtics are in a great spot as they have had two days off after a home loss to Chicago. Look for Boston to have plenty of energy here. The Celtics are rested and ready to avenge their loss at Phoenix two months ago and also get back on track after losing to the Bulls. I am aware that Jaylen Brown is likely to miss this game but having Walker and Smart back will be big for this team and they are getting too many points at home in this one in my opinion. Lets take advantage and grab the value. The Celtics had won 6 in a row before their home loss Monday and I look for them to get right back on track here but will grab the points as added insurance in the event they fall just short of the outright win. 10* BOSTON |
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04-22-21 | Maple Leafs v. Jets +118 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 17 m | Show |
10* WINNIPEG +118 - Great home dog spot here. The Maple Leafs were riding an amazing red hot beginning to a season with goalie Jack Campbell practically being automatic his first 10+ starts this season. However, he has cooled off and David Rittich has struggled some too and, just like that, the Leafs have now lost 5 straight games. One of the teams that gave Campbell a lot of trouble recently was Winnipeg and the Jets as a home dog are a must play in this spot in my opinion. Winnipeg is getting healthier with a couple players coming back and having Connor Hellebuyck in net is a big edge for the Jets in this one. Winnipeg is well-rested and off a home loss to Edmonton on Saturday. The Jets are 14-3 this season when off a loss! Look for Toronto to lose 6 straight as they are feeling the heat from this host who has their sights set on overtaking them for the top spot in the North Division. 10* WINNIPEG +118 |
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04-22-21 | Devils v. Penguins OVER 6 | Top | 1-5 | Push | 0 | 8 h 58 m | Show |
Big East Beast - 10* OVER 6 in Pittsburgh - The Devils are still battling hard but they have been unable to keep the puck out of their own net. An upper body injury for New Jersey goalie Blackwood does not help matters in that regard. I am aware of the other injury issues for each team heading into this one but some of those are actually serving to give us good value here. This over 6 would have much higher juice or possibly even move to 6.5 if not for the injury concerns and I feel the result here is great value. That's because New Jersey has scored at least 3 goals in each of its last 3 games and has averaged 4 goals during this stretch. The Devils have allowed an average of 5 goals per game in their last 10 games! Not only is the over 3-0 in the last 3 meetings between these teams but there has been an average of 10 goals scored in those 3 match-ups. 7 of the Penguins last 9 games have totaled 6 or more goals and those 7 contests averaged 9.6 goals per game! As you can see, these teams haven't just been involved in high-scoring games of late, they have been involved in barn-burners that fly well over the total. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 6 in Pittsburgh |
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04-22-21 | West Bromwich Albion v. Leicester OVER 2.5 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 7 h 30 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach EPL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 2.5 goals in Leicester vs West Bromwich @ 3 ET - You have read this type of analysis from me quite often these days but I repeat it here because it applies again. Neither club wants to settle for a draw here and I do not expect a clean sheet in this match. So if each club gets a goal and there is no draw that means at least a 2-1 final here. Leicester is pushing hard for a top four finish and, after back to back losses in premier league action, is desperate for the full 3 points in the table. West Bromwich is off back to back wins and is hungry to escape the relegation zone. As slim as those odds still seem for the travelers here, they absolutely are starting to believe courtesy of the back to back confidence-boosting wins. West Bromwich has won its last two matches by a combined score of 8-2 and this included a victory over Chelsea. As for Leicester, their last 3 matches have averaged 4 goals each as they had a 5-0 win over Sheffield but lost two decisions by a combined 5-2 score. The two most recent meetings between these clubs have averaged 4 goals and each totaled 3 or more. Look for more of the same in what should be a spirited fixture Thursday with both clubs on the attack early and often. 10* OVER 2.5 goals in Leicester |
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04-21-21 | Suns v. 76ers +1 | Top | 116-113 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 21 m | Show |
Earliest Dominator - Rickenbach NBA 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) vs Phoenix Suns @ 7:10 ET - This line is right around a pick'em and so we don't have to worry about a point spread. At the time of this posting the line is a +1 on the Sixers. Philadelphia enters this game off a home loss to the Warriors. That is noteworthy for multiple reasons. One is that Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris did not play but one, or both, should be back for tonight's game. But is also noteworthy because each of the last 7 times the 76ers have been at home and coming off a loss, they have gone 7-0 / 100% PERFECT straight-up. Certainly very strong odds as Philly is known for being very strong on their home floor and they have been particularly strong when off a loss! Look for this one to make it 8 in a row as they catch the Suns off another showdown against a top Eastern team and that was a one point win for Phoenix at Milwaukee. Also note that the Suns are 0-7 ATS the last 7 times they have entered a game off an ATS cover. So we have double 7-0 PERFECTION trends working in our favor here. I also like the fact that Philly lost at Phoenix earlier this season and also lost last season's home match-up with the Suns played in August with no fans. All signs pointing to a big home win here. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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04-21-21 | Predators v. Blackhawks OVER 5.5 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 42 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators @ 7:05 ET - The Blackhawks are still alive and fighting for the 4th and final playoff spot in the Central Division. Currently occupying that 4th and final spot are the Predators. Chicago lost to Nashville Monday and Lankinen had a horrible night in goal. That means Subban is likely to get the start between the pipes for the Blackhawks tonight. However, he has a 3.60 GAA on home ice this season. Last season in home games Subban had a 3.88 GAA. The Predators have scored 3 goals on him in each of his two starts against them this season. I fully expect a response from the hungry, revenge-minded Blackhawks here but they will have to score plenty to get the win. Their last 3 home games all have totaled 6 or more goals. Nashville has won 6 of 9 games and averaged 4.3 goals per game in regulation time of the 6 victories. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Chicago |
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04-21-21 | Rangers v. Angels OVER 8.5 | Top | 7-4 | Win | 100 | 6 h 11 m | Show |
ACTION with pitchers ALWAYS for ALL my MLB picks. Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #963 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in LA Angels vs Texas Rangers @ 4:05 ET - Long-time followers know I like to take overs in match-ups where I feel the road team pitcher is the slightly better pitcher and the home team pitcher is likely to get rocked. Why? Well because most teams tend to swing the bats better at home team. So, oftentimes, unless facing an absolutely dominant pitcher, the home team is going to get their runs. That said, when you have a game where the road team is also likely to get theirs, you have a great situation! The Rangers Mike Foltynewicz is 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA. I know he has good stuff at times but the numbers do not lie and he has struggled in 2 of his 3 starts this season and now makes his first road start of the season. Foltynewicz also struggled badly in spring training. Honestly when you look at his career numbers, 2018 was the only year in which Foltynewicz truly dominated as his other seasons have all seen him compile a 4.31 ERA or higher. As for the Angels Jose Quintana, he has been rocked in both his starts this season, hardly pitched last season, and got hit at a .282 clip in the prior regular season - 2019. The point is that it has been quite some time since Quintana has looked impressive on the mound. Prior to yesterday's loss, the Rangers had averaged 6.3 runs last 4 road games. The Angels are scoring an average of 6 runs at home this season and that is with 9 games as a host already in the books. They will get it done again today. 10* OVER the total in LA Angels |
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04-21-21 | Manchester City v. Aston Villa OVER 2.5 | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 7 h 42 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach EPL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Aston Villa vs Manchester City @ 3:15 ET - I understand the injury issues here but Aston Villa played very well against Liverpool in their most recent match. I do not see them being held off the scoresheet here. Aston Villa is averaging 1.64 goals per game on their home pitch this season. They get at least 1 here in my opinion but I also certainly do not see Manchester City losing this match. They are the top team in the premier league and angry off some recent setbacks. Manchester City has averaged 2 goals per match on the road this season. Aston Villa will not go down without a fight on their home pitch in this one. The result should be at least a 2-1 final and that would put us into the winners circle with this one. Each club has had only 5 draws in Premier League competitions this season and that is after 30 matches for Aston Villa and 32 matches for Manchester City. In other words, as long as Aston Villa gets a goal, which I fully expect, we should see at least a 2-1 final here as the odds of this one finishing a 1-1 draw are quite slim as you can see. 10* OVER the total in Aston Villa |
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04-21-21 | Giants v. Phillies -116 | Top | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 4 h 49 m | Show |
ACTION with pitchers ALWAYS for ALL my MLB picks. Earliest Cash - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #952 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line -115 vs San Francisco Giants @ 1:05 ET - Both starting pitchers are off to great starts this season but here is the key. DeSclafani has faced the Rockies and Padres and Marlins. Colorado is struggling badly at the plate early this season. San Diego has one of the lowest slugging percentages in the league so far this season. Miami is perennially a bad team at the plate. That said, now DeScalfani faces a team in a venue where has struggled in the past. It has been a long while since he has pitched in Philly but it has not gone well for him traditionally against the Phillies. Last season DeSclafani had a 7.22 ERA overall! Zach Eflin has pitched well for the Phillies early this season and he has had 3 starts against two teams, Braves and Cards, that are each expected to challenge for their division title this season. From a team perspective, the Giants had not been scoring many runs at all prior to yesterday's outburst. Look for their struggles to resume today. The Phillies had such a strong start to the season in home games and now have lost back to back games to the Giants and former manager Gabe Kapler. I do not see them getting swept by a team that is not projected to go anywhere this season and is a little over-valued right now. The Phillies have a road trip on deck and this game is critical for them. They will not waste this opportunity to get back in the win column before heading west for a road trip. 10* PHILADELPHIA -115 |
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04-20-21 | Magic v. Hawks OVER 218.5 | Top | 96-112 | Loss | -110 | 12 h 12 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NBA 10* OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic @ 7:30 ET - This is typical as a few injury issues in this one and so the first move on the total is from 221 to as low as 218.5 and what makes me laugh about this is that you always see this even for lesser known players. The public just assumes "oh they are missing this guy averaging 10 points or game, etc" but never factor in maybe a guys absence hurts a teams defense or their rebounding as far as clearing the glass on defense, etc. All that said, the fact is that when a line moves I like to look for value on the other side and if it is there I take it. This is one of those cases. Orlando has gone over the total in 4 straight games and 8 of its last 10. The over is 3-0 in the last 3 meetings between these teams and 3 of the last 4 meetings at Atlanta have gone over the total. Magic allowing 119 points per game last 9 games. Hawks allowing 113 points per game last 6 games. Also, those two perfect trends above combine for a 7-0 / 100% double perfect situation we are testing here. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta |
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04-20-21 | Rangers +118 v. Islanders | Top | 1-6 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 20 m | Show |
Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL 10* New York Rangers Money Line (+118) @ New York Islanders @ 7:00 ET - The Islanders continue to lead a charmed life and are off a 1-0 OT win at Philadelphia. There is nothing charmed about the way the Rangers have been winning games! The Rangers have won 4 straight games and 8 of their last 11. The most recent loss was to the Islanders and was, of course, in OT! The game just prior to that, the Rangers beat the Isles 4-1. In fact, the Rangers have had many blowout wins and only 1 OT win over the past 5 weeks which has seen them make a big push for a playoff spot. The Islanders last 8 wins have included only 2 wins in regulation. The Islanders have won 8 of 13 games but that means they were only good enough to beat a team in regulation 2 times the last 13. I respect this Islanders team and they are a very good defensive-minded team but, really, the Rangers have been more impressive of late and that shows up again on Tuesday. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS +118 |
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04-20-21 | Cardinals v. Nationals OVER 9 | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -112 | 10 h 5 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach MLB Rotation #903 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 9 runs in Washington Nationals vs St Louis Cardinals @ 7:05 ET - At first glance this total may appear a little on the high side. That is why I am playing the over of course! Long time followers know I love to be a contrarian but a play is never made without good reason behind it. In this case Patrick Corbin has been getting rocked so far this season and Adam Wainwright is known for struggling more on the road than at home. Corbin had issues with command of his pitches in spring training and that has carried right into the regular season. He is walking too many guys. Also, when he has found the plate he has gotten hammered in his first two starts. Corbin has a 21.32 ERA in his first two starts this season. Wainwright is off of a bit of a rocky start at home where he did pile up some strikeouts but also got hit hard. In his only road start this season he allowed 6 earned runs in less than 3 innings of work. Last year he was solid on the road but that was in very limited action as it was a shortened season. The year before Wainwright had a 6.22 ERA in road games. 2018 was a 4.38 ERA and 2017 was a 7.32 ERA in road games. 2016 he had a 6.18 ERA in road games this season. Consistently Wainwright is just not the same pitcher when on the road. I look for the Nats to hammer him early and often but I also look for Corbin's early season struggles to continue. The Cardinals have a .422 slugging percentage in road games which ranks them 4th in NL. The Nationals have a .262 batting average which ranks them 4th in the majors! The Cards have scored 9 or more runs in 3 of last 6 games. Another offensive explosion likely here. The Nats have scored at least 5 runs in 4 of last 6 games. 10* OVER the total in Washington |
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04-19-21 | Cavs v. Pistons OVER 213.5 | Top | 105-109 | Win | 100 | 12 h 52 m | Show |
Central Div Total of the Year - NBA Rotation #501 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cleveland Cavaliers @ Detroit Pistons @ 7:10 ET - When it gets late in the season I like to look at match-ups like this one for overs. These two teams are at the bottom of the central division. They are going nowhere this season and they know it. Where is the motivation to play defense? Exactly! Not only that, these teams have a history of high-scoring games when they match-up. Each of the last NINE meetings have gone over. That's right, a 9-0 / 100% PERFECT over run! Each team is allowing 111 points per game this season and about 48% from the field and 37%/38% from three point land. In other words, neither of these teams have been strong on the defensive end this season. I realize that this match-up does not feature the most skilled offensive players in the NBA to say the least but that is factored into this low posted total too which I feel strongly will prove to be far too low. 10* OVER the total in Detroit |
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04-19-21 | Hurricanes v. Lightning -115 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 5 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - NHL Rotation #36 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-115) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - My honest opinion right now is that if these teams met in a 7-game series the Hurricanes would ultimately prevail. Carolina is a very hungry team and, of course, the Lightning just won the Stanley Cup and it is so difficult to repeat. However, for this regular season game, there are huge edges for the Bolts in my opinion. Tampa Bay sees Carolina ahead of them at the top of the standings but only by 2 points. The Lightning are on home ice where Andrei Vasilevskiy just suffered his first home loss of the season. That's right, the TB netminder is a superb 14-1 with a 1.67 GAA and .941 save percentage on home ice this season. So Vasilevskiy wants a bounce back and he and his Bolts teammates also looking for some revenge after a 4-3 loss 3 weeks ago in which the Lightning were outplayed. That game was the 5th time in the last 6 meetings that the home team has prevailed and I look for that trend to continue. I realize Carolina is a very good team. Like I said, at the present time I would take them in a series over Tampa. However, for this particular game, the situational value is off the charts with the Lightning and we get a very low price because, yes, the Canes are a very good team. But tonight it is the Bolts and Vasilevskiy getting some payback. 10* TAMPA BAY -115 |
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04-19-21 | Giants v. Phillies +101 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 55 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - MLB Rotation #954 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (+101) vs San Francisco Giants @ 7:05 ET - I understand the line here but I still think it is too much value to pass up on. Yes, Kevin Gausman certainly has a better track record than Chase Anderson long-term. Yes I know Bryce Harper had back tightness and sat for a game recently but he game back and went 3 for 3 with a homer yesterday! That was an early day game Sunday and now this is an evening game Monday so he should be good to go. He is one of a number of Phillies who have had good success against Gausman. The Giants right-hander has not enjoyed pitching in Philly. In his career he is 0-3 in his 4 starts against Philadelphia and has compiled a 6.45 ERA plus has been particularly roughed up at Citizens Bank Park. As for Anderson, he is unlikely to pitch deep into this game and has command issues at times but two keys about this. One is that Anderson was very tough to hit in spring training and that has continued into the regular season as well. The second key is that Nola pitched a complete game for the Phillies yesterday so the best arms in the bullpen are rested and ready to go here! The Giants won yesterday but scored just 1 run and their .205 batting average ranks them 29th out of the 30 MLB teams! San Francisco, not including extra inning runs, has averaged just 1.9 runs per game its last 7 road games. Also, the Giants got 5 runs in the top of the 7th of a recent extra inning loss. If you remove that outlier from the equation, San Francisco would be averaging just 1.1 runs per game last 7 road games. This team struggles to hit and the Phillies are a much more confident team and better hitting lineup when at home. The Giants were 3-5 in road games this season before yesterday's win. The Phillies are now 7-2 at home this season. In fact if you had simply played the home team in all of Philadelphia's games this season you would be 12-3. They have struggled on the road but been great as a host. Look for that home team dominance to continue here. 10* PHILADELPHIA Money Line +101 |
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04-19-21 | Liverpool v. Leeds United OVER 3 | Top | 1-1 | Loss | -112 | 17 h 20 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach EPL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 3 goals in Leeds United vs Liverpool @ 3 PM ET - No team in the Premier League has fewer draws this season than does Leeds. The only club in the table with less than 5 draws is Leeds with 3 and they have played 31 matches so that means, odds prevailing, there is only 10 percent chance of a draw here. That said, I certainly do not foresee Leeds not scoring here. They have won 3 straight matches and scored at least 2 goals in all 3 matches. These teams last met in September and that was a wild 4-3 final! Liverpool has scored 5 goals in its last 2 premier league matches entering into this one. The point is that getting each team to at least a goal is likely and the likelihood of a draw is slim. With that factored in we should see at least 3 goals here. That is the posted total on this game and certainly offers some security as I see this game getting to at least 3 goals but, more likely, 4 or 5. Remember the last meeting tallied 7 goals. Another high-scoring match here. 10* OVER 3 goals in Leeds United |
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04-18-21 | Mets -1.5 v. Rockies | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -114 | 6 h 6 m | Show |
Run Line Rout - MLB Rotation #909 Sunday 10* Top Play New York Mets Run Line -1.5 -115 @ Colorado Rockies @ 3:10 ET - The Mets outhit the Rockies 11-3 in Game One of the double-header yesterday but only won 4-3 and even that was courtesy of 2 runs in the top of the 9th for New York. So the point is they wasted opportunities throughout that game and New York should have scored much more. The Rockies got all their runs in one inning when a leadoff error seemed to rattle deGrom a bit. The rest of the game, other than that one inning, the Rockies were held scoreless and had just 1 hit in those 8 innings. Overall, the Rockies are a miserable 4-11 this season even after winning Game Two of the double-header 7-2. Look for the Mets to get payback here from the loss in the nightcap. Marcus Stroman has thrown very well for New York early this season and he also has had success in recent visits to Coors Field as well. Antonio Senzatela, conversely, has a 7.07 ERA so far this season. Last year he pitched better but it was a shortened season and in the last full season, 2019, he had a 6.71 ERA. Even though Senzatela had a low ERA in spring training this season he did get hit at a .313 clip and that was the same BAA he had in 2019 and, oh by the way, he is getting hit at a .310 clip so far this season. Stroman has been fantastic and the Mets are the much better team overall and the Rockies struggles quickly resume after yesterday's surprising Game Two result. Avoid the big money line price here and grab the Mets at a very low price on the run line in what should be a road rout. 10* NEW YORK METS -1.5 -115 |
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04-18-21 | Penguins v. Sabres OVER 6 | Top | 2-4 | Push | 0 | 5 h 13 m | Show |
Big East Beast - OVER 6 goals in Buffalo - Yesterday's game stayed just under the total as it was a 3-2 final. The Sabres came very close to making it a 3-3 game late which, of course, would have resulted in an over. Buffalo continues to show some surprising fight here late in the season but they have a goaltending issue here. Ullmark is out. Hutton is out. Tokarski played yesterday. That means that the Sabres have limited options here for this one and, of course, the defense in front of the netminder remains shaky no matter who is in the crease. That said, I am looking for plenty of goals here because, while Buffalo is sure to surrender plenty, the Sabres should enjoy some success in the offensive zone as well. Tristan Jarry started for the Penguins yesterday and he has been playing very well. But it is likely it will be Casey DeSmith getting the call here since this is a back to back. He has struggled badly in his last 3 starts even though the Penguins have given him plenty of goal-scoring support in all 3 games. Each of the 3 games totaled at least 10 goals and the average goals scored was 11.3 goals per game. Indeed this could be a wild one on Sunday afternoon in upstate New York! 10* OVER 6 goals in Buffalo |
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04-18-21 | Pacers v. Hawks OVER 234.5 | Top | 117-129 | Win | 100 | 5 h 3 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - NBA Rotation #567 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Atlanta Hawks vs Indiana Pacers @ 1:10 ET - The Pacers are off an under at Utah but, of course, the Jazz are known for playing tough defense particularly when at home and particularly when healthy. That was a great spot for the Jazz to go into shutdown mode. Now Indiana faces a team that is willing to run the floor with them and I am expecting plenty of points here. The Pacers were on an 8-3 run to the over in road games before that under at Utah. Also, 4 of the last 5 times Indiana has visited Atlanta, the result has been an over. The Hawks have not been scoring as well last few games but a lot of that had to do with who they were facing. Now they are hosting a Pacers team which has allowed an average of 122 points per game in regulation time of its last 8 games. The first total on this one off shore was a 238 and it has since dropped to a 234.5 which means additional line value here as well. The Hawks could get John Collins back for this one also. 10* OVER the total in Atlanta |
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04-18-21 | Burnley v. Manchester United OVER 2.5 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 4 h 39 m | Show |
Total of the Week - EPL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 2.5 goals in Manchester United vs Burnley @ 11 AM ET - Burnley has a history of performing well at Manchester United. Even though they are way down in the table, not even completely safe from relegation, Burnley keeps battling hard. Burnley has scored at least 1 goal in each of its last 5 matches but I do not see them winning this one. Hence, we should see at least a 2-1 final here and we have a total in the 2.5 range with this match. Burnley has an additional issue here in terms of stopping one of the best teams in the league in Manchester United. Goalkeeper Nick Pope is dealing with an injured shoulder and is a game time decision. Even if he plays will he be 100%? Doubtful. Also, he has a shaky line in front of him as Burnley has been struggling defensively. They have allowed 2.5 goals per match this month. Manchester United has scored 2 or more goals in 4 straight matches across all competitions. The fact is, given all of the above, Manchester United could get this match over the total all by themselves but I do expect Burnley to find the back of the net at least once in this one and at least a 2-1 match here or perhaps 3-1 final. Again, they have been competitive here so that gives some extra confidence but they will struggle to stop this opponent that will be very strong on the attack on their home pitch. 10* OVER 2.5 goals in Manchester United |
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04-17-21 | Pirates v. Brewers -132 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 100 | 9 h 33 m | Show |
Divisional Dominator - MLB Rotation #960 Saturday 10* Top Play Milwaukee Brewers Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Pirates @ 7:10 ET - The Pirates won 6 to 1 yesterday and I love coming back with the Brewers in this bounce back spot. Pittsburgh is still a very poor team. Last year, in the shortened season, they went 19-41. But note also that it is even worse when you look at how they did in night games, 9-32, and versus left-handed starters, 2-10. Do not be surprised when Brett Anderson induces a lot of ground balls in this one and frustrates the Pirates hitters. Prior to yesterday, Pittsburgh had scored an average of only 2.4 runs per game on the road this season. Milwaukee, prior to yesterday, had won 6 of 8 games. Also, in their last 4 wins they had scored at least 6 runs in all 4 and averaged scoring 7.8 runs per victory! I am looking for a blowout here as, already this season, Trevor Cahill has shown a typical pattern seen from him year after year in recent seasons. He pitches very well at home but gets clobbered on the road. More of the same expected here. 10* MILWAUKEE -130 |
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04-17-21 | Oilers v. Jets OVER 6 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -101 | 9 h 15 m | Show |
NHL Network Rout - NHL Rotation #21 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Winnipeg Jets vs Edmonton Oilers @ 7:05 ET - I look for a very entertaining game here. Oilers are highly motivated off an embarrassing 5-0 loss at rival Calgary. The Jets are highly motivated because they have lost 3 straight meetings with Edmonton and are out for revenge here. The problem for the Jets in terms of getting that revenge is that their #1 goalie, Connor Hellebuyck - truly one of the best in the game, has had struggles against the Oilers all season long. Edmonton has scored an average of 4 goals per game the last 4 times they have faced Hellebuyck. Indeed, the Oilers have been his nemesis this season. However, I don't trust the Oilers in their own zone either. 4 of the last 5 times these teams have met at Winnipeg the game has gone over the total and Edmonton has allowed 9 goals in its last two visits here. Koskinen is off a good start at Ottawa but allowed 4 goals at Montreal, a more formidable opponent, in his prior start. Smith just allowed 5 goals at Calgary. Plus you have the revenge factor for the Jets so you know they will be very aggressive in this one in terms of putting pressure on the Oilers netminder. Look for plenty of goals as a result. 10* OVER the total in Winnipeg |
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04-17-21 | Jazz v. Lakers OVER 216 | Top | 115-127 | Win | 100 | 8 h 44 m | Show |
ESPN Smash Pass - NBA Rotation #555 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz @ 4:40 ET - I am aware of the injury situations with these teams but the first total released on this game was 219 and now we're seeing 216. This is leading to value with the over. The Jazz are in a back to back spot after hosting Indiana yesterday. That was the 5th time in last 7 games that Utah has allowed 111 points or more. Utah scored 119 yesterday and that is also their average points scored the last 8 games. You can see where I am going with this one. That right there is calling for a 119 to 111 final here in this one just like yesterday's game. Of course I am not saying that will be the score but just saying we could very easily be in the 230 range here which means a lot of value with this rather low posted total. Utah's most recent 2nd game of a back to back was a low-scoring win over the Thunder but their 5 preceding 2nd of 2 situations in a back to back saw each game total at least 225 points! The Lakers enter this game on a 5-1 run to the over. 10* OVER the total in LA Lakers |
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04-17-21 | Sheffield United +500 v. Wolverhampton Wanderers | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 53 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - EPL Saturday 10* Top Play Sheffield United Money Line +500 @ Wolverhampton @ 3:15 ET - I know it may seem risky to play on a club at 5 to 1 odds but we do see these kind of bets hit on occasion and this sure looks like one of those occasions to me. This line is very strange as, of course, Sheffield is at the very bottom of the table this season and has a dreadful record on enemy pitch and yet Wolverhampton is currently available on their home pitch in the -140 range. Interesting, right? Well, here are the keys the way I see it. Sheffield had a little shake up after a recent 5-0 loss and then responded with a strong performance against Chelsea in English FA Cup action even though they fell short 2-0 in the game. Sheffield has since lost two more games but this club is still fighting as long as they have a shot, no matter how slim, to escape relegation. As for Wolverhampton, their position in the table is pretty well set at this point. They are off a win, but by just 1-0 count versus Fulham, but this was on the heels of 5 straight matches in which they did not secure a victory in any of those 5. The Wolves know they have little, to no, shot at making the top 8 in the table because they have struggled so much here late in the campaign. Knowing they have no worries about relegation, Wolverhampton also realizes they are destined for finishing in the lower half of the table. From a motivational standpoint, the travelers will be the much hungrier club here. Sheffield still fighting for its life in the Premier League and I feel strongly they will give one of their best efforts of the season here and I am calling for the shocking upset. 10* SHEFFIELD +500 |
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04-16-21 | Sharks v. Wild OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -120 | 9 h 36 m | Show |
OVER in Minnesota - The Wild are off a 5-2 win versus Arizona and I fully expect a recent high-scoring trend for Minnesota to continue considering that the Sharks are in town. First off, about the Wild, 4 of their last 5 games have totaled at least 7 goals. San Jose enters this game unable to stop anyone. The Sharks have lost 3 straight and 4 of their last 5 and allowed at least 4 goals in all 4 defeats and they scored 5 goals in the lone win. Additionally, the over is a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these teams and those games averaged 7 goals per game. We only need 6 to be a winner here and, given the current trending for both these clubs and the fact both are allowing a lot of goals, look for at least 6 goals in this one with 7 plus being more likely! 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Minnesota |
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04-16-21 | Clippers v. 76ers -2 | Top | 103-106 | Win | 100 | 11 h 53 m | Show |
Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NBA Rotation #536 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Los Angeles Clippers @ 7:10 ET - I still can not believe that Philadelphia did not cover against the Nets Wednesday night as they let the easy cover slip away late. Much less to worry about here as we have a very small number to work with and the Clippers have injury issues. I know LA comes into this one having won 7 straight but Leonard is questionable (foot) and Ibaka and Beverley are both out with injuries. The Sixers are the much healthier team and also have two off days on deck as they do not play again until Monday. The 76ers are on a 3-game winning streak and are 4-1 this season when they entered a game having won 3 straight. The home team has been the winning team in recent meetings between these teams and here Philly gets revenge for the double digit loss at Los Angeles 3 weeks ago. Situation and injuries strongly favor the home team here. Lay the small number. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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04-16-21 | Indians v. Reds OVER 9 | Top | 3-10 | Win | 100 | 9 h 8 m | Show |
Situtational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach MLB Rotation #929 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Cincinnati Reds vs Cleveland Indians @ 7:10 ET - Sometimes the odds makers are a sports bettors best friend. What I mean by that is that when it appears they are offering something too good to be true it usually is. I already had my eyes on this match-up as a potential over play for Friday but when the total was posted it really sealed the deal. How can this total in a National League park be a 9 when the Indians have had 8 unders in their 11 games this season? Exactly! So the odds makers are going to bait a lot of people into the under here in my opinion but I am expecting this to be an easy over. Even though Cleveland has been a dead under team this season they have some momentum now coming off a win which was their 6th win in their last 8 games. Also, the Indians have scored an average of 5 runs per game in those 6 wins. The Reds enter this game on an under streak of 3 unders last 4 games but now they are back home where they are the top team in the majors offensively so far this season. Cincinnati has hit .320 at home this season and averaged scoring 9.5 runs per game! Indians Luke Allen has struggled early in starts and I look for the home-hot Reds to jump on him early and set the tone in this one. Cincy's Jeff Hoffman is off an unimpressive outing at Arizona in his most recent start and now faces a Cleveland lineup that is starting to grow in confidence. 10* OVER the total in Cincinnati |
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04-16-21 | Islanders +110 v. Bruins | Top | 0-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 19 m | Show |
ISLANDERS - Yesterday the Bruins embarrassed the Islanders 4 to 1 as they totally dominated the game. Rask was back between the pipes for Boston and even though Varlamov played well in the crease for New York, the Islanders were outplayed by the Bruins all over the ice. That means payback time in this back to back situation and the goalie situation favors the road dog. Boston's Halak is still out so that means, since Rask played last night, it is likely to be Swayman in goal for the Bruins in this one. He has played well but is still unproven but certainly he has been a better option than Vladar of late. However, Swayman still would be making just the 5th start of his NHL career. As for the Isles, they have a much more experienced option in Ilya Sorokin and he is a fantastic 11-3-1 this season. Also, when he is on he is really on strong. Sorokin has a fantastic 1.50 GAA in those 11 victories. The Isles are a strong-minded well-coached team that will come back hard after a game that played out ugly like yesterday's did. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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04-16-21 | Tottenham Hotspur v. Everton OVER 2.5 | Top | 2-2 | Win | 100 | 8 h 32 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach EPL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 2.5 goals in Everton vs Tottenham - Both clubs have been struggling recently but both still have top four ambitions in the table for a Champions League position. That said, I do not expect either team to settle for a draw here and I do not expect either team to have a clean sheet either. I know Everton is coming off a disappointing scoreless draw at Brighton & Hove but I am expecting a big response here. Everton has won both meetings with Tottenham this season (one was in English FA Cup action by a 5-4 count!) and I look for plenty of goals again here. In their 4 matches across all competitions prior to the scoreless draw, Everton conceded 7 times including 2 goals in each of 3 matches. Tottenham was held to 1 goal in their loss to Manchester United but that was preceded by them averaging scoring 2.2 goals per match in their 14 preceding games. Tottenham has conceded at least twice in 4 of last 5 matches. I am expecting at least a 2-1 match here but a 3-2 final would not be a surprise. Again, as noted above about the hopes of a top four finish in the league still being alive, neither club wants to settle for a draw here. 10* OVER 2.5 goals in Everton |
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04-14-21 | Nets v. 76ers -6.5 | Top | 117-123 | Loss | -107 | 10 h 22 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - NBA Rotation #502 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets @ 7:10 ET - This is a big showdown for Eastern Conference dominance but the problem is that it may not live up to its billing. It is a back to back spot for the Nets. Kevin Durant played yesterday. Playing in a back to back would be rare for him and he might be limited or certainly not at his best. Kyrie Irving missed yesterday's game for personal absence. He might be in Philly physically tonight but will he be there mentally? LaMarcus Aldridge dealing with an illness (missed yesterday's game) may not seem like a big deal but actually the Nets were hoping he could guard Joel Embiid who is becoming the most dominant big man in the NBA. That said, the fact Aldridge might miss or be limited or not be 100% is another issue for Brooklyn in this one. Of course James Harden is out for sure with his hamstring injury. So the Sixers hold a ton of edges here in the health department and situational department as they are at home and were able to rest yesterday. These teams are tied for the top spot in the East with identical 37-17 records. The 76ers are the much healthier team and the home team has won both meetings by more than a dozen points this season. Different night, same result here as the injury factor is just too much for the Nets to overcome against a highly motivated Sixers team. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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04-14-21 | Phillies -112 v. Mets | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -112 | 9 h 32 m | Show |
Big East Beast - MLB Rotation #909 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Mets @ 7:10 ET - The Phillies got swept in yesterday's double-header. Tomorrow's game against the Mets is likely to get rained out if you look at the weather reports. It is likely that if the Phillies want to salvage something from this series it needs to be today and this is the right pitching match-up to get it done. Zack Wheeler, not Aaron Nola, was actually the best and most consistent starting pitcher for the Phillies last season. We saw what happened this season when a lineup gets to see you in back to back start as Wheeler completely dominated the Braves in the first meeting but then struggled in the 2nd start. Now David Peterson will have that same issue. His first start this season was against the Phillies and he struggled and now he is giving them a 2nd look. That is not a good situation for Peterson as they are already locked in on his delivery and his offerings. The southpaw gave up 6 earned runs in just 4 innings against the Phillies and now they get a 2nd look at him in his very next start. Wheeler is a former Met and faced them 3 times last season and delivered a quality start - 6+ innings, 3 or less ER - each time. You know he is highly motivated here especially coming off a start where he struggled with his command! Look for Wheeler to look just like he did in his first start this season against the Braves. Two quality teams here that match up evenly in a lot of respects but that is why the starting pitching edge here heavily tilts the odds in favor of a road team win here. Lay the short price. 10* PHILADELPHIA -115 |
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04-14-21 | Jets v. Senators OVER 6 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -101 | 8 h 55 m | Show |
Total Annihilation - NHL Rotation #31 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Ottawa Senators vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:05 ET - The Senators are off a 4-2 upset win over the Jets on Monday. That game was 2-2 after the first period and then the scoring tied off and over players had to settle for a push there. I do not expect a repeat here as this one will get over the total. Winnipeg goalie is likely to be Connor Hellebuyck and I have plenty of respect for him as he is one of the top netminders in the game. However, Ottawa does score better at home than on the road and continues to push hard despite their poor overall season. The Senators have scored at least 3 goals each of the last two times they have faced Hellebuyck and the Jets. Ottawa has scored an average of 3 goals per game in its last 14 home games. But the Jets, with revenge on their minds, are sure to respond here and Matt Murray could be back between the pipes here and is sure to be rusty. He was out with an upper body injury and this would be his first game action for the Sens in 5 weeks! Murray has a 3.84 GAA on the season and was struggling before he got hurt too with 14 goals allowed in 145 minutes over his last 2+ appearances. That works out to about a goal allowed every 10 minutes and is not what any goalie wants. A very hungry Winnipeg team will be on the attack here too so this is shaping up to be a real barn-burner. 10* OVER the total in Ottawa |
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04-13-21 | Phillies -118 v. Mets | Top | 0-4 | Loss | -118 | 7 h 19 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - MLB Rotation #981 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (-) @ New York Mets @ 7:10 ET (Game 2 of DH) - The Mets Marcus Stroman threw some pitches Sunday before the game was called for rain. So after getting all warmed up and ready to make a start and actually making that start, he was quite upset the game was not post-poned earlier so he would have avoided all that. That is why it was decided he would not pitch again until Friday but then, after throwing some in the outfield yesterday, he decided he would pitch today on Tuesday. I don't expect this to go well for him. Look for all these interruptions in his normal schedule to wreak havoc with him and for him to struggle against a Phillies team that has been on a surge early this season. This is Game 2 of the double header but, regardless of how Game 1 goes, look for the pitching edge to key the Phillies victory here. I know Aaron Nola struggled some and was in and out of jams last week against the Mets and now faces them again but here is the fact: he is 8-2 with a 3.26 ERA in his career outings against New York. Stroman did have a good start against Philly last season but in two preceding outings he gave up 17 hits in 10 innings. Look for the Phillies to stay hot and get to him early and often and the shortened game (7 innings since it is a double header) strengthens the importance of the starting pitching and that edge, for the reasons above, goes to the road team in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA -120 |
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04-13-21 | Hawks v. Raptors OVER 223 | Top | 108-103 | Loss | -110 | 10 h 47 m | Show |
Contrarian Total of the Year - NBA Rotation #571 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Raptors vs Atlanta Hawks @ 7:35 ET - With all the injuries for both teams, including Trae Young being questionable for the Hawks, we are getting a low total here. In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the public perception here and going with the over regardless of who is on the floor. That's because the set up here is perfect. Each team is off an under but each team faced an opponent that trends toward lower scoring games. Atlanta faced the Hornets and Toronto faced the Knicks. Prior to the under in most recent game, the over was on a 7-2 overall run and 5-0 road game run in Hawks games. Prior to the under in most recent game, the Raptors had gone over the total in 3 straight games. Look for these teams to resume the high-scoring ways now that they are matched up against each other. The over is a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these two. 10* OVER the total in Toronto |
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04-13-21 | Flames v. Maple Leafs OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -117 | 8 h 25 m | Show |
Total of the Month - NHL Rotation #25 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Calgary Flames @ 7:35 ET - Intriguing match-up with the Leafs expected to have former Flames goalie Rittich between the pipes. He was just acquired at the trade deadline and with Anderson still out and Campbell getting the start last night, Rittich likely gets the call here. He will likely be up against Calgary's Markstrom whom supplanted him as the #1 netminder for the Flames. That said, some are expecting a goaltenders duel here but I am expecting the opposite based on some key situational factors here as well as the fact that both goalies will have some extra pressure on them because of the dynamics to this match-up. The Flames are of a 5-0 shutout win but had allowed 4 goals per game in their preceding 4 games - all losses. Two of those games were against Toronto and 3 of the last 4 meetings between these clubs have totaled 6 or more goals. Markstrom is 1-3 with a 3.82 GAA versus the Leafs this season and after a hot start in January did not fare well in February or March. Rittich has allowed 3 or more goals in 5 of last 7 starts. 4 of the Maple Leafs last 5 games have totaled 6 or more goals and this one should as well as they bounce back off yesterday's loss at Montreal. 10* OVER the total in Toronto |
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04-12-21 | Nationals v. Cardinals OVER 8.5 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -106 | 6 h 39 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - MLB Rotation #909 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Cardinals vs Washington Nationals @ 7:45 ET - The Cardinals have not hit well early this season but they are at home here against Erick Fedde whom is off a rough start in his first outing of the season. The set up is perfect for the Cardinals bats to have a big day but I do not trust their starter John Gant as he is getting this start only because of injuries in the pitching rotation for St Louis. He allowed 2 base runners per inning in his first start with 4 hits, a hit batter, and 3 walks in just 4 innings of work. That was against a bad Marlins lineup. That does not bode well as now he faces a Nationals team whose .268 batting average ranks them 5th in the majors. I know Washington has not hit for much power yet this season but they only have 6 games in the books and the bigger hits will come. I like the way they are swinging the bats and you can see why, per the above, that I am happy to fade both these starting pitchers. Fedde just 8-12 with a 5.29 ERA in his career. Both bullpens ranking just in the middle of the pack so far this season too. 10* OVER the total in St Louis |
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04-12-21 | 76ers v. Mavs OVER 218.5 | Top | 113-95 | Loss | -107 | 7 h 21 m | Show |
ESPN Smash Pass - NBA Rotation #559 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Dallas Mavericks vs Philadelphia 76ers @ 7:35 ET - The last time these teams met the game stayed under the total but the posted total was 227.5 points and now we are dealing with a posted total nearly ten points below that! I know the Sixers are on an under trend but I feel this total has been adjusted too far down compared to the prior meeting in late February. Keep in mind, the Mavericks are in a back to back but they lost versus San Antonio yesterday and are 9-1 SU the last 10 times when off a SU loss. They are going to bring a strong effort here and have averaged scoring 116.5 points the last 6 times when off a loss. The Sixers are averaging 110 points per game their last 11 road games. Each team should get to at least 110 here and that puts this game well past the posted total. The 76ers know the Mavericks are in 2nd game of a back to back and will push the tempo here and try to run them right out of the arena and wear them down in doing so. Good pace to this one. 10* OVER the total in Dallas |
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04-12-21 | Maple Leafs -145 v. Canadiens | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -145 | 6 h 36 m | Show |
Big East Beast - NHL Rotation #3 Monday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (-) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - Jack Campbell is the confirmed starter for the Maple Leafs and he can't wait to get on the ice and redeem himself. Even though he improved to 11-0 with a win over Ottawa it was a rare rough outing for him. He wants to bounce back here and is 7-0 with a 1.54 GAA and a .945 save percentage in his road starts this season. Toronto is on track to finish with the top spot in the North Division and the Canadiens a likely number four spot. The Leafs have dominated this series thus far this year and do not want to give Montreal any hopes of a first round upset either should these teams meet which appears likely at this point. With Carey Price only practicing as he works on conditioning after his injury, the Habs netminder tonight is likely to be Jake Allen. He has won just 1 of his 7 home decisions this season and has a 3.12 GAA at home. Allen enters this start having allowed 11 goals in his last 3 games. With Montreal having lost 3 straight and the Maple Leafs having won 6 straight and 9 of their last 10, look for this one to be a road rout. 10* TORONTO |
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04-12-21 | Everton v. Brighton & Hove Albion OVER 2.5 | Top | 0-0 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 3 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - EPL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 2.5 goals +115 in Brighton & Hove Albion vs Everton @ 3:15 ET - Each club desperate for 3 points here as Everton still has two games in hand on the clubs ahead of them which they are chasing for a higher finish in the table. Certainly Everton is still very much in reach of a strong finish in the table. They need the full 3 though here. At the same time, Brighton is only 6 points clear of the relegation zone so they are not out of danger to say the least. They do not want to settle for a draw here. That said, and you have seen this discussed here before, we should see at least a 2-1 final in this one. I do not see either team producing a clean sheet and I don't see either team settling for a draw. So look for this match to get to 1-1 at some point and then eventually 2-1. Either way we should see at least 3 goals in this one. Each of Everton's last 4 matches have totaled at least 3 goals. Everton is off a 1-1 draw but that was preceded by them allowing 2 goals in each of their 3 prior matches across all competitions. Also, off of the draw where allowing a late goal was an equalizer, Everton will be a little more aggressive on the attack for the full match in this one. They got burned for sitting back in their last match, versus Crystal Palace, and can not afford to make the same mistake here. 10* OVER 2.5 goals +115 in Brighton & Hove |
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04-11-21 | Phillies +144 v. Braves | Top | 7-6 | Win | 144 | 9 h 4 m | Show |
ESPN Smash Pass - MLB Rotation #963 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Phillies Money Line (+) @ Atlanta Braves @ 7:05 ET - This play is all about the value. There is not much difference between the Braves and Phillies. Yet Atlanta is priced as a big favorite here even though Drew Smyly got hit at a nearly .300 clip in spring training and allowed 4 runs (yes, I know only 2 were earned) in season debut against a Nationals team playing their first game of the season so of course the bats were a little off that night. Keep in mind Smyly lasted more than 4 innings only twice in five starts last season. The year before that Smyly went 4-7 with a 6.24 ERA and the year before that he went 7-12 with a 4.88 ERA. This game is simply priced wrong in my opinion. The betting markets are infatuated with the Braves but I am absolutely willing to test an over-rated pitcher with a solid Phillies lineup that has plenty of home run power. Smyly allowed 32 homers in each of his last two full season, 2018 and 2019. Matt Moore had some struggles in his regular season debut for the Phillies but held hitters to a .241 batting average in spring and is a veteran pitcher fully capable of bouncing right back. He did retire 7 straight to begin his first start of the year and that including 4 via strikeout. But he then lost command of his pitches and I expect his strong start to carry much longer in this one. Underdog value off the charts here. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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04-11-21 | Rangers v. Islanders -126 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 21 m | Show |
10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line -125 vs New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Islanders lost 4 to 1 to the Rangers Friday but the game was much closer than that score would indicate. Look for payback here as the Islanders are 6-1 the last 7 times they were off a loss and playing on home ice. They get their payback at home here where they have been so strong all season long. The Rangers have been playing better of late but this is still a tough ask to expect them to win back to back games against such a strong home team. Lets not forget that the Rangers had lost 7 of 11 road games prior to the win here on Long Island Friday. It is payback time. The Isles are 17-2-2 at home this season and also these teams have been in a pattern of alternating wins and losses for 7 straight meetings! Look for that to continue here. 10* NY ISLANDERS money line -125 |
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04-11-21 | Coyotes v. Golden Knights OVER 5.5 | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -114 | 6 h 34 m | Show |
10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Vegas Golden Knights vs Arizona Coyotes @ 4:05 ET - These teams combined for 11 goals in their game on Friday night and while we should expect less than here it should certainly be more than the 5.5 total that is posted on this game. Arizona has been scoring well for an extended stretch and 9 of their last 11 games have totaled 6 or more goals as a result. In 9 straight games the Coyotes have scored at least 3 goals and only 1 of those was an OT goal. After some recent goal-scoring struggles that were a wake-up call for Vegas, the Golden Knights have now erupted for at least 6 goals in 2 of last 3 games. Their goal-scoring surge continues here. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Vegas |