Sean%20murphy - Betting Expert

My selection is on St. Louis over Dallas at 9:35 pm et on Wednesday.

With their opening round matchup out of their hands, I don't anticipate seeing the Stars go 'all out' to win in their home finale on Wednesday. The Blues are playing for nothing at this point but they certainly want to close out a non-playoff season on a high note and have been playing reasonably well over the last month or so, particularly on the road where they're 4-2 in their last six games going back to March 11th. We'll certainly take a flyer on the Blues at this price, noting they're 2-0-1 in this series this season. Take St. Louis (8*).

My selection is on Minnesota -1.5 runs over Baltimore at 1:05 pm et on Wednesday.

The Orioles have elected to give Bruce Zimmermann the start on Wednesday as they look to wrap up a series sweep of the Twins. This is a starting pitching mismatch as Minnesota will hand the ball to its ace Pablo Lopez. We'll lay the extra run in this spot as the Twins are well-positioned to avoid the sweep in convincing fashion, noting their bullpen continues to pitch well having recorded a collective 2.37 ERA and 1.09 WHIP on the season. Take Minnesota -1.5 runs (8*).

My selection is on Washington over Los Angeles at 3:10 pm et on Wednesday.

The Nationals were never going to have much of a shot at beating the Dodgers for a second straight game on Tuesday as they handed the ball to inning-eating batting practice pitcher Patrick Corbin. The Dodgers rolled in that contest. I expect a different story to unfold on Wednesday, however, as Washington sends Jake Irvin to the hill against Dodgers rookie Landon Knack. Irvin has been serviceable in the early going this season, logging a 4.01 FIP and 1.06 WHIP. Meanwhile, the Nats bullpen has held up well, recording a collective 3.26 ERA with six saves converted and three blown in the early going this season. With a win on Wednesday, Washington would wrap up a confidence-building 5-4 road trip. The Dodgers on the other hand are just 2-4 over their last six games, still setting into the long 162-game season. Take Washington (8*).

My selection is on Atlanta plus the points over Chicago at 9:30 pm et on Wednesday.

The Bulls enter this game on the heels of three straight ATS victories and they're a long-term loser in that situation having gone 117-143 ATS including an 8-17 ATS mark over the last three seasons. Few will give the Hawks a chance in this game given they're riding a six-game losing streak, however, they're 45-38 ATS in their last 83 contests following six straight defeats. Also note that the underdog is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings in this series, winning six of those games outright including each of the last four. Take Atlanta (8*).

A.L. East Game of the Week. My selection is on New York -1.5 runs over Toronto at 3:05 pm et on Wednesday.

Kevin Gausman has been awful in his last two starts. In fact, he's been pretty bad going all the way back to last August save for a few starts. When things have gone south for the veteran right-hander it's been in spectacular fashion. Note that in Gausman's last seven team losses, the opposition has plated a whopping 51 runs. After dropping the first two games of this series, I look for the Yankees to rebound on Wednesday afternoon. Marcus Stroman will get the nod for New York. He's coming off a rocky outing of his own but still owns a respectable 3.42 FIP and 1.06 WHIP on the campaign. He'll of course be up for this matchup against his former team. The Jays bullpen has held up well in this series so far but I think it's only a matter of time before it gets blown up. We'll bet that today is the day. Take New York -1.5 runs (10*).

Wednesday MLB Free play. My selection is on Pittsburgh over New York at 1:10 pm et on Wednesday.

We'll fade the Mets and Luis Severino as they look to complete the series sweep of the Pirates on Wednesday. Pittsburgh let New York off the hook last night, unable to cash in on its many scoring opportunities before blowing a 1-0 lead late in an eventual 3-1 defeat. While I'm not going to make a habit of backing Pirates starter Bailey Falter, I do think he can find continued success in this matchup after holding his last two opponents to just one earned run on five hits over 11 innings of work. Severino has also limited the damage in his last two outings but we know he's capable of getting blown up in any given start. The bullpens entered this series as a wash and despite the way things have gone so far, I don't feel the Mets have a significant advantage in that department. Take Pittsburgh.

My selection is on Oakland over St. Louis at 3:35 pm et on Wednesday.

Steven Matz was spotted a 4-0 lead in the first inning in his most recent start against Arizona. The Cardinals would go on to blow a 6-0 lead in that game before rallying for a 9-6 victory. All of that to say, Matz has been anything but dominant through his first three starts this season, striking out only eight while allowing 17 hits in 15 innings of work. It's been a different story for A's starter Paul Blackburn. He has yet to give up an earned run in 19 1/3 innings this season. Meanwhile, the A's bullpen has been terrific in the early going. We'll back the A's as they look to avoid the series sweep on Wednesday. Take Oakland (8*).

My selection is on Colorado over Philadelphia at 6:05 pm et on Wednesday.

The Rockies are certainly looking ahead to a return home at the conclusion of this series but I do look for them to avoid the sweep and pick up a rare road victory on Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Ryan Feltner was on the hill for the Rockies most recent win - last Friday in Toronto. He's as serviceable as it gets when it comes to the Colorado starting rotation. This play is more about fading Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez, who I don't feel belongs in this price range. I don't anticipate either starter working deep into this ball game but will take my chances fading the Phillies subpar bullpen which entered last night's action sporting a collective 6.31 ERA and 1.57 WHIP at home this season. Take Colorado (8*).