Gambling Guide

Bookie busters: Plays for the weekend with a heavy focus on soccer

Bookie busters: Plays for the weekend with a heavy focus on soccer
Ronaldo should score a goal this weekend. Photo courtesy of Nike, Inc.

Let's jump into a weekend primed for gambling with Playoff action and a few soccer bets I love. Come with me; I'll take you around the world!

Tuesday Champions League Semi-Finals 2nd leg

Real Madrid -Bayern Munich        1:45   PM

The highly anticipated grudge match, in which the away team will be looking to overcome a 2-1 home loss in the first leg. Having allowed two away goals, Bayern Munich knows the task at hand, and that will be to score quickly. I don't think they are capable of shutting down Madrid in the Bernabeu. Both teams will have chances with Real Madrid ultimately putting the nail in the coffin through counter attacks.

Both teams to score

Over 3

Scores in both halves

Ronaldo scores goal

NBA

Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder            Friday 9:35 PM

An elimination game, with the world watching, brings us everything we want out of a playoff NBA game. Now you would think teams in "have to" win situation would go out and win but the truth is in the last five years teams facing elimination are 53-71 straight-up and 58-64 (47.5percent) ATS. Sometimes the added pressure of needing to win doesn't relate to better play. Utah set the pace at home; the 6 point spread might be a little too much so I'll go with the under.

Jazz games went under the total 52.3 percent of games during the season, while at home the number skyrocketed to 60.5 percent.

Under 207

Australia

Friday 4:50 AM

Melbourne City vs. Newcastle Jets

Newcastle has scored 10 goals in the past 5 matches but also has allowed 12.

Over 3

Germany

Saturday 11:30 AM

Bayer Leverkusen vs. Stuttgart

Leverkusen last three over. Visitors last 3 road games over total 2.5

Over  3

England

Sunday  10:30 AM

Plays Of The Weekend

Manchester United vs. Arsenal

United has scored 2+ goals in 8 of last 9 games in English competitions. Arsenal 23 goals in the last 8 matches also scoring 2+ in 9 of the last 10 matches.

Over 2.5

Both teams to score

MLS

Saturday 7 PM

Minnesota vs. Houston Dynamo

Minnesota's last two matches have seen a combined nine goals, Not a good trend hosting the league's top 5 scoring team. The only problem is the Dynamo defense has allowed 14 goals, landing them in bottom 10 in the MLS.

Both Teams to Score

Over 3

France

Sunday 2 PM

PSG vs. Guingamp

Guingamp have netted 13 goals in the last 6 matches; The home team is one of the highest scoring squads in European football. PSG has scored 15 goals in the last 5.

Over 3.5

For any questions  or comments reach me @JerryBoknowz on twitter. Follow for live/halftime plays.

 

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Can top prospect Brice Matthews give Houston a boost? Composite Getty Image.

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!

 

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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