
Time to haul in some bread. Credit: Getty Images
Pan Caliente also known as HOT bread. At this point, the bread is so hot its become toasted. Same can be said for your bookie.
Some runs are impressive, some runs are memorable, but this one just flat out raised havoc. A moment of silence for your bookie; they are people too. Sometimes...
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Manchester Utd at Newcastle
Over 2.5 -1.3Nets live over first half +3Nets 3rd Q over +1
Celtics TT over 110.5 1U +1
Liverpool/ Man City
First Half over 1 Kidney play Push
Pool/city Over 2.5 for the game 3U MAX +3
Den/ SacOver 223.5 1U +1
Den/Sac 3rd Q Loss MAX -3.3
Warriors 3rd Q over 27.5 3U +3
warriors / Rockets Over 242.5 live 1U +1Over 119.5 first half 1U +1
Warriors TT over 117.5 1u +1
Warriors TT Over 32.5 1st q 1U +1-5.5 first Q +1
+12.6
Started the year with +51.4 51.4 + 12.6 =+64U to start the year 31-6 Free play run. INSANE
New Plays
Clippers/Suns SMALL play
First half over 119.5 1U
UPDATE 1 1126 CST
Zeke Over 5.5 receptions 1U
UPDATE 1258 CST
Teaser 7point kidney play
Colts +8
Over 41.5
UPDATE 1150 CST
T.Cohen pass receptions over 3½ 2U
Teaser 6 point 3U
Chargers +8.5
Bears -.5
Chargers/Ravens
Over 3 field goals 2U
UPDATE
Halftime update
Bears -5.5 for game 5U MAX
UPDATE 540 CST
Bama/Clemson
Under 28 first half 2U
UPDATE 549 CST
Bama first Q ML1U
Bama first half -3 1U
UPDATE 645 CST
H Town Trifecta
Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets Over 215.5 1U
Nuggets Over 107 1U
Rockets over 108.5 1U
UPDATE
Clemson TT over 13 8U Kidney
UPDATE 1157
France
Nantes/Mont Over 2 2U
Nantes PK draw no bet 1U
UPDATE
Tottenham Pk DNB 8U
UPDATE 124 CST
Tott/Che
First half over 1 2U
UPDATE 151 CST
Tottenham TT over 1.5 2U
Over 2.5 5U
First half over 1 2U
BTTS and Over 2.5 2U
Dele anytime goal 1U
UPDATE 722CST
SACRAMENTO KINGS @ PHOENIX SUNS
First Q Over 58.5 2U
Update 814 CST
Thunder/ Wolves halftime
Over 240.5 3U MAX
Take it easy, plenty of spots I love in the next few days.
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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 @Moneyline975on Twitter.
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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