In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

There were plenty of predictions to go around yesterday across the NHL and MLB, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions and making it a 3-star Play. That prediction went 1-0 overall, and you can see how each of the models performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 0-1

Over/Under Predictions: 0-1

Puck Line Predictions: 1-0

3-star Predictions: 0-0

Money Line Predictions: 6-1

Over/Under Predictions: 4-2-1

Run Line Predictions: 3-4

3-star Predictions: 1-0

There is one NBA game scheduled to take place on Friday night, with that matchup being Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. Denver currently leads the series 2-1, and our model predicts that the Nuggets will win tonight’s matchup and head back home for Game 5 up 3-1.

There are no 3-star plays in the NBA today.

Money Line Trends💰

• Denver Nuggets- 14-4 overall in postseason, 5-3 as the away team

• Miami Heat- 13-8 overall in postseason, 6-3 as the home team

Over/Under Trends⬆️⬇️

• Denver Nuggets- Over is 9-9 overall in postseason, 4-4 as the away team with average total of 227.5

• Miami Heat- Over is 12-9 overall in postseason, 4-5 as the home team with average total of 210.78

Spread Trends➕➖

• Denver Nuggets- 11-7 against the spread (ATS) in postseason, 5-3 ATS as the away team

• Miami Heat- 14-7 ATS in postseason, 6-3 ATS as the home team

Denver Nuggets @ Miami Heat

• Denver Nuggets

  • Collin Gillespie (OUT)

• Miami Heat

  • Tyler Herro (OUT), Victor Oladipo (OUT)

🤕 Tyler Herro out for Game 4. It was expected that Tyler Herro would return to the Heat lineup for either Game 2 or 3 of the NBA Finals, but the Miami guard will reportedly miss Game 4 as he manages a hand injury. Herro broke his hand in Miami’s Round 1 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, but is still dealing with inflammation despite being cleared for basketball activities. Miami currently finds itself down 2-1 heading into a pivotal Game 4, but Herro and his 20.1 points per game will be stuck on the bench for at least one more game.

🐆 Florida defeats Vegas in Game 3, trails series 2-1. The Florida Panthers went down 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals rather quickly, posting a -8 goal differential in that two game span. However, the Panthers got back in the win column last night with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, trimming the series deficit to just one game. Matthew Tkachuk tied the game 2-2 with just over two minutes left in regulation, and Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winner four minutes into the extra period. Florida is now a perfect 7-0 in games that go to overtime in the postseason, and last night’s victory was perhaps the biggest of them all.

🔄 Damon Severson is heading Columbus. The New Jersey Devils traded unrestricted free-agent Damon Severson to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick. The trade marks the second big acquisition of the week for Columbus, with the first being a trade for Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov. Severson tallied 33 points in 82 games this past season, a decline from his career high of 46 in 2021-22.

There are 15 MLB games scheduled to take place this evening. However, due to some gaps in the season data, our model has predictions for 12 of today’s matchups.

San Diego Padres @ Colorado Rockies

Model Predicts- Padres ML, OVER 11, Padres -1.5

The San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies will begin a three-game series on Friday night in the Mile High City.

San Diego has had an underwhelming season up to this point, entering tonight’s matchup with a 29-33 record. That puts the Padres in fourth in the NL West, one season after making an appearance in the NLCS.

Colorado isn’t any better, coming into today with a 26-38 record after being swept by the San Francisco Giants in its most recent series.

Two teams that are far from impressive, but our model predicts the more talented Padres will leave Game 1 with a convincing victory. Will that prediction come to fruition, or will we see the Rockies snap the losing streak at home?

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are loaded with offensive talent, highlighted by Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts. However, all that talent hasn’t translated to many runs or wins in 2023.

According to TeamRankings, San Diego ranks 24th in the majors in runs per game with 4.16, sitting just above the MLB’s worst in Oakland and Detroit. That average is down from 4.34 as season ago, a number that ranked 13th in the MLB.

The biggest issue for San Diego is that it cannot hit right-handed pitchers, which the Padres have faced in 69.7% of at-bats this season. The Padres are batting .215 as a team with an .677 OPS against righties, showing that this team struggles to see the ball against most pitchers.

San Diego’s pitching has helped make up for the struggles at the plate, posting the seventh-best Team ERA in 2023 at 3.75. However, Yu Darvish (4-4 record, 4.10 ERA) will get the start for the Padres, someone who has been a little unpredictable on the mound this season.

Darvish does own a 3.51 xERA, much better than his 4.10 ERA, per Baseball Savant. That’s a sign that he has gotten unlucky, but Darvish still has some flaws. For example, his walk rate sits at a solid 6.6%, but that is a staggering rise from 4.8% a season ago. Additionally, his slider is getting crushed by opposing hitters, a pitch that has resulted in a .465 batting average for opponents.

That has forced Darvish to only throw his slider 18.3% of the time, down from 31.5% a season ago. It used to be his go-to pitch, but he has clearly lost some stuff on the mound.

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are a bit of a mess this season, and it doesn’t look like things will get much better with Austin Gomber (4-4 record, 6.99 ERA) set to make the start tonight.

The southpaw has been obliterated while on the mound this season. His 6.99 ERA should be a clear indication of that, but his 7.24 xERA is even more alarming. Gomber has been bad, but the stats show that things should be worse.

The main reason for those struggles is that the 29-year-old is one of the more predictable pitchers in the MLB. Per Baseball Savant, he is throwing his 4-seam fastball on 43.4% of his pitches, with no other pitch being thrown more 22% of the time. To make matters worse, the 4-seamer doesn’t have much velocity behind it, coming in at 90.7 mph.

The predictability plus the low velocity leaves Gomber vulnerable to hard contact, as evidenced by his 44.2% Hard Hit rate 90.7 mph Average Exit Velocity Allowed. Both of those rank Gomber in the bottom 21% of the majors, and his 15% strikeout rate is in the bottom 8%.

Gomber makes opposing hitters lives extremely easy, and that often leads to runs.

What’s the Play?

The Padres lack of offensive firepower is a concern, and with Xander Bogaerts listed as Day-to-Day, many wouldn’t expect things to get much better.

However, Gomber is left-handed, which should provide relief for the Padres at the plate. Remember, San Diego can’t hit righties, but its batting average and OPS rise to .246 and .748 against lefties. That’s a dramatic improvement from the team’s splits against right-handers.

Gomber will likely get crushed tonight, and Darvish has some vulnerabilities on the mound that Colorado can take advantage of. This game will also be taking place in the most hitter-friendly ballpark the MLB has, so we feel comfortable backing the over in this spot, a prediction our model gives a 61.32% chance of hitting.

3-star play: Over 11 (-120)

Money Line Trends💰

• Arizona Diamondbacks- 37-25 overall this season, 17-11 as the away team

• New York Yankees- 37-27 overall this season, 20-15 as the home team

• Miami Marlins- 35-28 overall this season, 12-11 straight up as a road underdog

Over/Under Trends⬆️⬇️

• Los Angeles Dodgers- Over is 36-25-2 overall, highest win percentage in the MLB

• Houston Astros- Under is 32-30-1 overall, 18-13 as the away team

• Cleveland Guardians- Under is 38-22-2 overall, 21-8-1 as the home team

• Oakland Athletics- Over is 34-26-4 overall, 20-11-2 as the away team

Run Line Trends➕➖

• Detroit Tigers- Run line is 32-28 overall, 12-11 as a home underdog

• Cincinnati Reds- Run line is 37-26 overall, 16-8 as a road underdog

Various injuries around the league see full injury report at MLB.com.

💥 José Ramírez could not be stopped last night. Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez had the game of his life last night, going 3 for 5 at the plate with three home runs. The performance was his first three-home run game in the majors for Ramírez, and got him to the 200 home run mark for his career. It also ended a drought of 15 games without a home run for the 30-year old. Ramírez is now up to nine home runs on the season and is batting .267 with 36 RBIs.

🤕 Noah Syndergaard hits the IL. The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday due to a blister on his throwing hand. However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Syndergaard’s return to the mound is “unknown”. Syndergaard has struggled this season, both on the mound and mentally, posting a 7.16 ERA and allowing at least five runs in each of his last three starts. It remains a mystery how much the blister is affecting him, but the Dodgers likely made the move so that Syndergaard could have some time off and reset.

👋 Minnesota releases Dalvin Cook. The Minnesota Vikings have officially parted ways with running back Dalvin Cook, making him free to sign with any team in the NFL. Cook is coming off his fourth Pro Bowl in 2022, rushing for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games. He signed a five-year extension with the Vikings in 2020, but it appears that both parties now have a different view of what is best for the future. The Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins have been two teams already showing interest, per Adam Schefter.

✍️ Frank Clark signs with the Denver Broncos. Former Kansas City Chiefs pass-rusher Frank Clark has signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos. The deal is reportedly worth up to $7.5 million, with $5.5 million being guaranteed, per Adam Schefter. Clark has tallied 67 tackles for loss and 58.5 sacks in 120 career games, making the three-time Pro Bowl selection a highly desired player after being cut from the Chiefs in March.

👀 Panthers giving Bryce Young first-team reps. The Carolina Panthers announced that they have given Bryce Young the first-team reps in practice this week. The move doesn’t come as much of a surprise given that Carolina selected the former Alabama quarterback with the No.1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft last month, but Panthers head coach Frank Reich was still hesitant to name Young the starter. As of right now, that job title still belongs to Andy Dalton.

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- The Houston Rockets franchise was established in 1967, but did not move to Houston until 1971. What city did Houston play in prior to its relocation?

Question #2- 2006 was a tremendous year for running backs in the NFL, seeing 23 players at the position reach the 1,000 yard mark. One player stood out among the rest though, rushing for 1,815 yards that season. Who was that player?

Question #3- The Philadelphia Phillies have three players on the roster that were selected in the top 13 picks of the 2014 MLB Draft. Two of those players are Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, but who is the third?

Question #4- Len Bias was selected second overall in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, but tragically passed away shortly after and never played in an NBA game. What college did Bias attend?

Anyone know what has happened on June 9th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On June 9th…

1914- Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner becomes the second player in MLB history to reach the 3,000 hit milestone, joining Cap Anson as the only players on the list. Wagner would end his career with 3,420 hits, which ranks seventh in MLB history. His consistency at the plate made Wagner an eight-time NL batting champion and five-time NL RBI leader, which later resulted in Wagner being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

1930- Paavo Nurmi runs six miles in 29 minutes and 36 seconds, setting a new World Record in the event. A native of Finland, Nurmi dominated distance running in the early 1900’s, winning nine olympic gold medals from 1920-1928, with five of those medals being won in Paris in 1924. Those medals were won in events ranging from the 1500 to the 10000 meter run, truly displaying how dominant Nurmi was in the world of distance running.

1939- American basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale is born in Passaic, New Jersey. Prior to becoming a broadcaster, Vitale was a coach at the collegiate and pro level. He was an assistant at Rutgers University before becoming the head coach at the University of Detroit, where he posted a 79-29 record in four years while leading the Titans to the Sweet 16 in 1977. Vitale would then beocme the head coach of the Detroit Pistons, but was fired shortly into his second season after going 34-60 in 94 games. Now, you can here Vitale’s voice all over ESPN, where he has been a broadcaster since 1979.

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1. San Diego

2. LaDainian Tomlinson

3. Aaron Nola

4. University of Maryland