Michael Alexander

Rating: 2 Units

Expect Erik Spoelstra to go back to the zone he used in most of the Boston series and that will help slow down the Nuggets. That defensive gimmick will help a lot more in Game 2 when the Heat have their legs back since they have Friday and Saturday off.  There's no doubt that going seven games against Boston had an effect on their performance on Thursday along with the altitude. Strus, Caleb Martin and Robinson combined for 2-for-23 in Game 1 and all three will bounce back in Game 2. Martin has been terrific in the postseason, averaging 13.5 points and shooting 44% from beyond the arc. But the biggest factor is Butler getting a couple of days off to rest his ankle and he will be looking to get to the line a lot more in this game. The Heat will push the Nuggets to the limit in Game 2 and will shoot a lot more than two free throws.

Rating: 2 Units

In his last start, Miller took the loss as he was roughed up by the Yankees at home Monday night. He threw 4.2 innings, allowing eight runs on 11 hits with no walks and three strikeouts in a 10-4 Seattle defeat. Over his last three starts, Miller is 1-2 with a 5.82 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, two walks and 13 strikeouts over 17 innings of work. In his seventh career major league start, Miller pitches against the Rangers for the first time. He makes his first career start at Globe Life Field in this contest. Prior to his recall, Miller was 0-2 with a 6.41 ERA, a 1.322 WHIP, three walks and 18 strikeouts over 19.2 innings in four starts with Double-A Arkansas of the Texas League. Consider that the over is 15-5-2 in Rangers last 22 home games.

Rating: 2 Units

The Chicago White Sox will look to complete the 3-game sweep over the Detroit Tigers in their game today. There’s been little offense for both teams in this series, and pitching has dominated so far. For the White Sox, Michael Kopech will start and he’s 3-5 with a 4.52 ERA. Before getting hit around by the Angels in his last start, he had back-to-back starts going 7+ innings without allowing a run. Despite only going 4.1 innings against the Angels, he threw 10 strikeouts as the strikeout continues to be a big part of his game. Kopech generally finds success against weaker lineups such as the Royals and Guardians, so the Tigers, given their current struggles, shouldn’t give him a rough outing. Matthew Boyd will start for the visiting Tigers and he’s 3-4 with a 5.96 ERA. Boyd gave up 5 runs in his latest start but only 1 in his start before that.. The Tigers’ bullpen has surprisingly pitched really well this season and the past 2 games against the White Sox has not been an exception. If Boyd doesn’t make it deep into this game, which he typically doesn’t, they should be backed by a deep bullpen that’s shut down the Sox so far. The White Sox have continued to struggle offensively but thanks to their pitching staff, 5 runs in 2 games has given them 2 wins. Consider that the under is 45-21-3 in Tigers last 69 when their opponent scores 2 runs or less in their previous game.

Rating: 2 Units

The Tampa Bay Rays aren’t nearly as dangerous on the road where they are only two games above the .500 mark. They lost two of three to the Cubs prior to this series and lost game one of Saturday's DH. The Red Sox are three games above .500 at home. Rays’ starter Taj Bradley is an inexperienced rookie. The right-hander does not go deep into games, last 5.1 or fewer innings in all but one start this season, and the Rays bullpen is actually a bit of a weakness, ranking 22nd in the big leagues with a 4.32 ERA to go with a 1.34 WHIP. Tampa Bay has lost in each of Bradley's last three starts while Boston has won in four of Houck's five home starts this season.

Rating: 2 Units

Miller has pitched pretty well in his first handful of starts in the majors but he was lit up by the Yankees in his last outing. Facing a team with a prolific lineup with plenty of power bats may be a lot to ask of a young guy that hadn’t pitched above Double-A prior to being called up to the majors. Eovaldi has been rolling this season and went 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA with nine walks and 31 strikeouts over 37.2 innings in five starts in the month of May. Opposing hitters posted a measly .178/.232/.264 slash line in those outings. After seeing how Seattle sputtered against an equally hot pitcher in Gray on Friday night, you have to give the advantage to the hosts here as the Rangers earn the win to take the series.

Rating: 2 Units

The Angels have been roughed up in Houston this weekend, as the Astros have won the first three games of this American League West Division series, while outscoring the Halos by a 20-10 margin. Even RHP Shohei Ohtani was unable to pitch them to victory on Friday night. Now, the Halos turn to RHP Griffin Canning to try and salvage something in this series. He is 4-2 with a 4.89 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across eight starts. However, he also has a dismal 7.90 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in three daytime starts across 13 2/3 innings, while teams are hitting .291 against him. The Astros are starting to round into championship form after a slow start. Houston is 18-5 in the past 23 games dating back to May 9, and the hot streak started when the team visited the Angels in Anaheim from May 8-10. The Astros are 5-1 in the past six games during Game 4 of a series, while Houston is 38-14 in the past 52 games inside the AL West. In addition, the Astros have been stacking wins, going 11-3 in the past 14 games following a win, while cashing in 11 of the past 16 games against a right-handed starting pitcher.

Rating: 2 Units

The Golden Knights ran away with Game One, making it easy to think they'll control the upcoming game to take a commanding series lead. However, the Panthers, who had the first game tied up through two periods, look to bounce back and take over the upcoming game. The Panthers should constantly find the back of the net with Anthony Duclair, Carter Verhaeghe, and the rest of the forward unit carrying the puck into the offensive zone and creating open shots with quick passes to the face-off circles and the slot. The Panthers also look to bounce back after allowing five goals in Game One and limit the Golden Knights' offense with Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling creating turnovers in the defensive zone and limiting shots on the net, allowing goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to step up and make plenty of big saves. The Panthers should win the game to even up the series and provide great odds in the process as road Underdogs.

Rating: 2 Units

Houston hasn't been their best offensively in 2023. Their greatest strength is putting the ball in play, as they're eighth in strikeout rate this season. The Astros may have to play this series without All-Star Jose Altuve though. He injured his oblique on Saturday against the Angels. He's only played 11 games this season, another reason why the Astros aren't one of MLB's top offenses as they were in 2022. Consider that the under is 15-5-1 in Astros last 21 road games with the total set at 9.0-10.5.

Rating: 2 Units

The Milwaukee Brewers are playing better in recent games and this pitching matchup favors them. Brewers’ starter Julio Teheran is making a comeback and so far he looks great, limiting the Giants to one run and the Blue Jays to one run (zero earned) in his two outings spanning 11 innings this season. The Reds have Andrew Abbott making his MLB debut in this game. I usually stay away from pitchers making their debut, especially considering the strength of the Milwaukee bats in this series. They have accumulated 20 runs in the first three games of this series, winning all three decisions. The Reds have hit a bump and are struggling at home where they are 1-5 in their last six games.

Rating; 2 Units

St. Louis has struggled of late after seemingly righting the ship during the early part of May. The Cardinals stand 10 games under the .500 mark and one has to seriously wonder if John Mozeliak will be a seller at the trade deadline. Wainwright has sputtered in his limited action this season, posting an ERA north of six while averaging just over five innings a start. Texas is a dangerous team as they can win low-scoring games, as we saw in Friday’s opener with the Mariners, and slugfests. Perez has played with fire at times this season, giving up 74 hits in his 61 innings of work, but with the Rangers sporting a run differential of +143 entering Sunday, it’s clear that the bats can make up for any shortcomings on the mound. Give Texas the upper hand here as they prevail at home.

Rating: 2 Units

The Phillies will hand the ball to Aaron Nola (4-4, 4.70 ERA) today. Nola has been effective in his career against the Tigers, posting a 1-0 record with a 1.93 ERA in three starts. The Tigers gave up four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and fell 6-2 against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Jake Burger hit a walk-off grand slam. The Tigers, who received a two-run homer from Spencer Torkelson in that loss, will arrive in Philadelphia after being swept by the White Sox in a three-game series. Detroit starter, Wentz has had a rough first half of the season with a 7.28 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP in 11 starts, and he’s had very little run support in any of those outings. But even without his offense scoring for him, Wentz has the tendency to put his team in a hole early on. He has a .289 xBA with a 45% hard-hit rate and a 9.4% barrel rate which all rank in the bottom 30% in their respective category. 

Rating: 2 Units

The Astros are scheduled to start right-hander Brandon Bielak (2-2, 3.19 ERA). It will be his first career appearance against Toronto. Bielak has won two of his past three starts, including a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. He gave up one run on three hits over 5 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays are scheduled to start right-hander Alek Manoah (1-6, 5.46). In his one previous start against the Astros, which came on April 23, 2022, Manoah tossed six innings of two-run ball and picked up the win. Manoah, whose only win this season came on April 5, has lost his last two starts, allowing seven runs, six earned, over a combined seven innings. The Astros are 18-6 in their last 24 games since starting the season 17-18. They are also 8-3 in their last 11 road games.