GAMBLING GUIDE
Bookie Busters: Divisional weekend = addition to the bankroll
Jan 9, 2019, 7:10 am
GAMBLING GUIDE
A Wild card weekend that was exactly that; WILD.
The theme of the weekend, the lonesome kicker.
We had some big swings in our betting go down to the bickers. But again, I stress the importance of being able to sustain variance. You cant do anything about bad breaks, part of being a good gambler is not getting too high or too low, no matter the situation.
Last weeks plays
Clippers/Suns SMALL play
First half over 119.5 1U -1
Zeke Over 5.5 receptions 1U -1.7
Dallas 5U MAX 2nd half -5.5
Teaser 7point kidney play -10.2
Colts +8
Over 41.5
T.Cohen pass receptions over 3½ 2U -2.4
Teaser 6 point 3U -3.6
Chargers +8.5
Bears -.5
Chargers/Ravens
Over 3 field goals 2U +2
Bears -5.5 for game 5U MAX -5.5
Bama/Clemson
Under 28 first half 2U -2.2
Bama first Q ML1U -1.7
Bama first half -3 1U -1.1
First Half Over 45.5 live 5U +5
Bama+22 -3.3
Over 73 -3.3
H Town Trifecta
Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets Over 215.5 1U +1
Nuggets Over 107 1U +1
Rockets over 108.5 1U +1
Clemson TT over 13 8U Kidney Push
3rd Q over 13,5 -9.6
France
Nantes/Mont Over 2 2U PUSH
Nantes PK draw no bet 1U +1
UPDATE
Tottenham Pk DNB 8U +8
UPDATE 124 CST
Tott/Che
First half over 1 2U PUSH
Tottenham TT over 1.5 2U -2
Over 2.5 5U -6
BTTS and Over 2.5 2U -2.2
Dele anytime goal 1U -1
SACRAMENTO KINGS @ PHOENIX SUNS
First Q Over 58.5 2U +2
Sixers 3rd Q TT over +1
Wolves Over 27.5 TT first Q 1U +1
Sixers first Q over 59.5 +1
Thunder/Wolves -3.3
Suns 3rd -5.5
-47.2 Last article read +64U 64- 47.2= +16.8U
+16.8
New Plays
Celtics -2.5 first Q 2U
UPDATE 556 CST
Celtics -7 3U MAX
UPDATE 659 CST
Rockets/Bucks first half over 111.5 3U MAX
UPGRADE
Nebraska TT over 33.5 first half 2U
UPDATE 910 CST
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS @ DENVER NUGGETS
3rd Q Over 55.5 2U
Nuggets TT over 120.5 2U
Stay updated and set your notifications.
For any questions or comments reach me @JerryBoKnowz Twitter.
Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Josh Jordan on ESPN 97.5. We're on every Sunday from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling. Also, be sure to follow us @Moneyline975 on Twitter.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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