Who doesn't want in on this money dance? Getty images
Bookie Busters: The Money Dance
The term"it's like a broken record" is brought up when something becomes repetitive. That can become annoying.
When gambling, if you are winning and that becomes the rhythm often heard, well then you are considered consistent.
Another wild week with Texas and Pitt hurting us but bouncing back with the Packers in every way possible for over 25 Units and a sweep on Tuesday cleaned up the entire article, putting us up to bat once again.
With all the live bets I need to change things up. I'll only be grading the pre-game plays and halftime bets here that way we can all be on the same games. With all the live betting and retweeting it's hard to see what exactly everyone is getting in and at what spread when live betting. From now only plays on here will be graded.
I'll swallow my units from the past two days to give us an even level going forward. Good luck.
Last article read 274.1. Slowly but surely.
Last article plays
Lakers -3.5 1U +1
UPDATE
Germany
Hoff/ Schalke
Over 3 5U
Texas +10 line is 9.5 now so buy the hook and hook'em 5U.
UPDATE
People's Teaser 5U -125 7 point.
Memphis +9.5
Alabama -6.5
UPDATE
Bama -9.5 2nd half 5U MAX
Update 324
pats/Vikings over 50.5 5U
UPDATE
Steelers first half ML 5U
Steelers ML game 5U
Steelers-3 5U
UPDATE 858
Steelers TT over 13.5 2nd half 5U
Steelers ML 3rd Q 5U
UPDATE 658 CST
Washington +6 2U
J.Doctson scores a receiving TD +254 1U
Over 3.5 reception 1U
Over 41.5 yards 2U
First Q
Redskins Over 2.5 1U
Eagles over 6.5 2U
West Ham TT over 1.5 5U
France
Montpellier first half ml (DNB) 3U
UPDATE 607 CST
NCAA Hoops
OU/ND
Over 140
Update 758 CST
South Dakota St TT over 77.5
New Plays
France
Racing Strasburg vs PSG
Over 3
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.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have 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!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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