In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter presented by Betstamp…

Additional Model Predictions and Bonuses ⬇️

NBA Model Predictions- Click Here

NHL Model Predictions- Click Here

Sportsbook Bonuses & Offers- Click Here

There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NBA, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions in our Featured Matchup. That prediction went 1-0 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 1-0

Over/Under Predictions: 1-0

Spread Predictions: 0-1

Featured Matchup: 1-0

Sign Up For Available Sportsbooks Near You!

Looking for the best line on your next bet? Or just looking for a new sportsbook?

Thanks to Betstamp, shopping for lines and finding all sportsbooks available in your location has never been easier!

Click the button below to check out what sportsbooks are available to you and receive bonus offers and boosted odds!

15 MLB games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for all 15 matchups can be found below.

Boston Red Sox @ St. Louis Cardinals

Model Predicts- Red Sox ML, UNDER 8, Red Sox -1.5

The Boston Red Sox will continue their six-game road trip on Saturday, staying in St. Louis to take on the Cardinals in Game 2 of a three-game weekend series.

St. Louis got the better of Boston last night, defending their home turf with a 10-6 win. That win was the fourth in the last six games for the Cardinals, while the loss was the third consecutive for Boston after losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday and Thursday prior to last night’s defeat.

The Cardinals have found the win column far more often than the Red Sox this week, but our model still sees plenty of value on backing Boston in this spot. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Boston Red Sox

• Enter tonight on three-game losing streak

  • One loss to Cardinals, two losses to Rays

  • -7 run differential in that span. Allowed at least seven runs in two of three contests

• Offense is still red hot despite not picking up wins

  • Own 131 wRC+ (8th in MLB), .300 BABIP (17th), and .835 OPS (8th) in last three games. Have hit five home runs in that span

  • Have done even better against right-handers- wRC+ rises to 137, OPS to .860. BABIP has stayed flat (.296)

• Starting pitcher- Kutter Crawford

  • Has been great on mound so far- 2.24 ERA vs 3.02 xERA

  • Hitters struggling to see ball out of his hand- ranks in top 10% of MLB in Chase rate (33.7%) and Hard Hit rate (29.7%)

St. Louis Cardinals

• Enter tonight as one of hotter teams in league

  • Have won four of last five games- wins over Brewers, Angels, and Red Sox

  • +6 run differential in those five games

• Offense is currently the best it has been this season

  • Own 157 wRC+, .364 BABIP, and .885 OPS in last five games

  • Crushing right-handed pitching- 165 wRC+, .918 OPS, and .348 BABIP. Also own 13.3% walk rate

• Starting pitcher- Miles Mikolas

  • Has had massive struggles thus far- 6.19 ERA vs 5.15 xERA

  • Hard contact happens often while on mound- Ranks in bottom 2% in Whiff rate (16.1%), bottom 23% in Hard Hit rate (43.6%)

What’s the Play?

Boston and St. Louis are trending in opposite directions at the moment, but we agree with our model that this is a prime spot to back the Red Sox to find the win column.

Per the 1.04-run variance between his real ERA and xERA, Miles Mikolas is due to see fewer runs put on the board while he is on the mound, but today likely isn’t that day. Boston has been one of the best offenses against right-handers over the last three games, a bad sign for a contact-seeking pitcher like Mikolas, who owns an xBA (expected batting average) of .299 and Barrel rate of 8.6%. Opposing teams have crushed him so far, which has led to 12 earned runs over his last 16.0 innings pitched.

Conversely, Kutter Crawford’s xERA is higher than his real ERA, which signals more runs are on the horizon, but his 3.02 xERA is still amongst the league’s best. Additionally, although St. Louis has hit right-handers well this week, the Cardinals rank 14th in wRC+ and 16th in OPS against righties this season, numbers that indicate a middle-of-the-road offense.

Boston’s offense has been too good over the last three games to keep losing, and the Red Sox have the far better guy on the mound. Our model projects Boston as a -178 favorite, so we’ll gladly take them at their current price of -120.

The Play: Red Sox ML (-120)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Minnesota Twins- 24-20 overall this season, 12-8 against division opponents (Play AL Central rival Cleveland today)

• Boston Red Sox- 22-23 overall this season, 12-10 as the away team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Houston Astros- Under is 25-17-3 this season, 13-9-2 as the home team

• Miami Marlins- Over is 18-6 as the home team this season- highest win percentage in MLB (75.0%)

Run Line Trends ➕➖

• Philadelphia Phillies- Run line is 26-20 this season, 20-17 as a favorite

💪 Skenes dominates on mound in win over Cubs. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes threw six no-hit innings against the Chicago Cubs before being pulled after 100 pitches in a 9-3 win. Skenes, the top pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, is adjusting to the majors with an innings limit and showcased his talent with 11 strikeouts, including seven consecutive to start the game. The 21-year-old, praised by his manager for his aggressive approach, is set to make his next start against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

🤕 Giants lose Lee for rest of season. San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee will miss the rest of the season due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder, requiring surgery. Despite this being his second shoulder surgery, doctors expect a full recovery within six months, according to Giants president Farhan Zaidi. Lee, who joined the Giants on a six-year, $113 million contract, finishes his rookie season with a .262 average, two home runs, and eight RBIs in 37 games.

Today’s trivia requires you to dig into multiple pockets of your brain, testing your knowledge of recent events as well as those that happened decades ago.

See how many of the below questions you can get correct. Answers are provided at the end of the newsletter.

Question #1- Prior to being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played for what West Coast team?

Question #2- The St. Louis Cardinals defeated what current AL Central team in five games to win the 2006 World Series?

Question #3- Philip Rivers and what other NFL quarterback led the league in touchdown passes during the 2008 season, with each throwing 34?

Anyone know what has happened on May 18th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On May 18th…

1983- Former NFL quarterback Vince Young is born in Houston. Texas. Young stormed onto the football scene during his time at Madison High School, where he recorded 12,987 yards of offense in three years as a starter and earned a scholarship from the University of Texas. Young would play three seasons at Texas and lead the Longhorns to a national championship in 2005 before being selected with the No.3 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.

2004- Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson throws a perfect game in a 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves. It took Johnson 117 pitches to record 27 outs, with nearly half of those outs coming in the form of a strikeout (13). It was the 16th perfect game in MLB history, and Johnson became the oldest player to throw a perfect game, as he was 40 years old at the time.

2021- Detroit Tigers pitcher Spencer Turnbull throws a no-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. It took Turnbull 117 pitches to record 27 outs, striking out nine and walking just two opposing hitters along the way. The no-hitter was the fifth of the 2021 MLB season, and the first thrown by a Tigers pitcher since Justin Verlander did so in 2011.

1. Los Angeles Clippers

2. Detroit Tigers

3. Drew Brees