In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions & Bonuses ⬇️

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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 0-1 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 1-0

Over/Under Predictions: 0-1

Spread Predictions: 0-1

Featured Matchup: 0-1

14 MLB games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for all 14 matchups can be found below.

Minnesota Twins @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Model Predicts- Twins ML, OVER 8, Pirates +1.5

The Minnesota Twins will begin their final leg of their nine-game road trip on Friday, taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 1 of a three-game series.

Minnesota hasn’t faired well on its current road trip, posting a 2-4 record through six games after being swept by the New York Yankees in their most recent series. However, the Twins still own a positive 33-29 record for the season, while Pittsburgh sits under the .500 mark at 29-33.

Both Minnesota and Pittsburgh are struggling to find a rhythm at the moment, each going 5-5 in their last ten contests. However, our model projects Minnesota to be the team that gets out of the funk and picks up a victory tonight. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Minnesota Twins

• Coming off an 0-3 series vs Yankees

  • Outscored 5-1 in Game 1, 9-5 in Game 2, and 8-5 in Game 3

  • Have now lost four of last six games dating back to start of road trip

• Bats are cold, but have faced some bad luck

  • Hitting .187 with 90 wRC+ and .671 OPS in last six games (FanGraphs)

  • BABIP sits at just .200- indicates Twins offense has been unlucky despite putting balls in play

• Starting pitcher- Joe Ryan

  • Tremendous start is expected to get better- Owns 3.38 ERA and 3.09 xERA

  • Allowing lots of fly balls (35.2% Ground Ball rate) but makes up for it with few walks (3.9% Walk rate)

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Enter weekend series off series win vs Dodgers

  • Won Games 1 and 2 before dropping Game 3

  • Now 3-2 in June with +7 run differential

• Offense is opposite of Minnesota- hot bats but have had luck on their side

  • Own 110 wRC+ and .741 OPS since June 1st

  • BABIP since June 1st sits at .367 (4th in MLB)- nearly every ball team makes contact with is finding a hole in the defense

• Starting pitcher- Mitch Keller

  • Due to see regression- 3.42 ERA vs 4.37 xERA

  • Has seen a decline in multiple areas- Strikeout rate down 4.3% from 2023, average exit velocity up 1.8 mph

What’s the Play?

Once again, neither one of these teams can seem to find their groove right now, but we agree with our model that this is a good spot to back the Twins on the road.

Joe Ryan has been incredible on the mound this season, and his 3.09 xERA shows that he has the potential to be even better. That can certainly be the case today against this Pirates squad, one that looks hot on the surface but has been very lucky when it comes to finding gaps in the defense.

On the flip side, Minnesota’s offense has looked horrible, but the Twins’ low BABIP over the last six games shows that the group has run into some misfortune, which we believe will turnaround today against Mitch Keller.

Pittsburgh is due for regression on the mound and at the plate, while Minnesota is set to regroup offensively while Joe Ryan continues to dominate. That is a recipe for a Twins victory.

The Play: Twins ML (-120)

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Money Line Trends 💰

• Minnesota Twins- 33-29 overall this season, 17-16 as the away team

• Baltimore Orioles- 39-22 overall this season, 18-10 as the away team

• Boston Red Sox- 32-31 overall this season, 18-13 as the away team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Baltimore Orioles- Over is 32-23-6 this season, highest win percentage in MLB (58.2%)

• Houston Astros- Under is 37-23-3 this season, 16-9-1 as the away team

Run Line Trends ➕➖

• Atlanta Braves- Run line is 29-28 as a favorite this season

• Kansas City Royals- Run line is 38-25 this season

🧠 Mets give McNeil mental break amid offensive struggles. The New York Mets are giving Jeff McNeil a break from the lineup to help him reset after a tough start to the season. McNeil, who hasn't played since Sunday, struggled with a .227 batting average in the first 56 games despite his previous success, including winning the NL batting title in 2022. The Mets, who extended McNeil's contract in January 2023, will start a two-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies in London on Saturday.

😬 Chicago’s historic losing streak continues vs Red Sox. The Chicago White Sox set a franchise record with their 14th consecutive loss, being defeated 14-2 by the Boston Red Sox. They now have the worst record in MLB at 15-48 and hadn't experienced a losing streak this long since 1924. Starter Jake Woodford struggled, allowing seven earned runs, while Boston's Tanner Houck dominated, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

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- Several NBA stars, such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, skipped out on college ball and opted to go straight to the pros. Who was the last player drafted out of high school in 2005, the last year high school players were eligible for the NBA Draft?

Question #2- Georgetown has had plenty of NBA talent come through its program over the years, but the Hoyas have not produced many NBA players recently. In fact, only four current NBA players represented the Hoyas at the collegiate level at one point in their college basketball career: Omer Yurtseven, Jeff Green, Mac McClung, and who else?

Question #3- Villanova is mostly known for its basketball program, but 41 Villanova football players have been drafted to the NFL. However, only one of those players has been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Who is that player?

Anyone know what has happened on June 7th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On June 7th…

1989- The first baseball game to start outdoors and end indoors is played in Toronto, Canada, a 4-2 victory for the Blue Jays over the Milwaukee Brewers. Toronto’s stadium was one of the few stadiums to have a retractable roof, which was forced to close after “threatening weather” rolled through the area.

1989- Wayne Gretzky wins his ninth Hart trophy in the last ten years, the last time he would win the award in his career. Gretzky had won the award in eight straight years from 1980-1987, but lost the voting in 1988 to Mario Lemieux, who ended with 292 votes compared to Gretzky’s 76. However, Gretzky’s “bounce back” season the following year helped him set the record for Hart Trophies, which remains the NHL record today.

2018- The Washington Capitals defeat the Las Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, giving Washington its first Stanley Cup in franchise history. It was Washington’s first finals appearance since being swept by Detroit in 1998, and it was also Vegas’ first appearance as it was the Golden Knights’ first season in the NHL. Alexander Ovechkin was named MVP, and led the NHL in regular season goals that year with 49.

1. Amir Johnson

2. Otto Porter

3. Howie Long