Good morning, Pickswise Nation. We have a humongous 17-game schedule in Major League Baseball with two doubleheaders being played. Meanwhile, there is also plenty of soccer, lacrosse and UFC action on offer. It’s another big day in the world of sports, so let’s make your next bet better with Wise n’ Shine!
About Last Night
Pickswise cashes a pair of same game parlays
Why only hit one same game parlay when you can hit two? That’s what MLB handicapper Mark Lammey must have been asking himself, as he went 2-for-2 with his SGPs on Friday. Nationals-Phillies was a +457 winner and Red Sox-Royals paid out at +450.
PLL Week 9 is off and running
Week 9 in the Premier Lacrosse League wasted no time getting started, as a Friday game took place between the Redwoods and the Cannons. Our pick of Redwoods -1.5 worked out to perfection, as they took care of business with a 15-12 victory.
Today’s Slate
Braves-Mets and Angels-Mariners set for doubleheaders
The Braves and Mets have split the first two games of a crucial 5-game series atop the National League East and they will play a doubleheader on Saturday, getting the MLB schedule started at 1:10 pm. The Angels and Mariners are also playing two after going to extra innings late last night. Be sure to read all of our MLB game previews.
Three more PLL games
Following last night’s Redwoods-Cannons showdown, Week 9 competition on the lacrosse field will wrap up with a trio of games. Two of the three matchups feature teams with winning records: Waterdogs vs Atlas and Archers vs Whipsnakes. Don’t miss our PLL picks.
EPL, MLS combine for 19 games
There are a whopping 19 soccer games across the English Premier League (6) and Major League Soccer (13) on Saturday. In fact, it’s opening day of the 2022-23 EPL season. Everton vs Chelsea is one of the more intriguing matchups. Here is all of our soccer coverage.
Best Bet of the Day
MLB: Houston Astros ML (-150) over Cleveland Guardians
6:10 pm ET, TBS
The Astros opened this series against Cleveland with a shutout win behind ace Justin Verlander on Thursday. They followed that up with a 9-3 rout on Friday, when trade-deadline acquisition Trey Mancini went deep twice – including his first career grand slam. It’s no surprise that Houston has taken two straight. This team has been second-best in the American League behind the Yankees all season long and it even boasts a 5-2 record in that head-to-head matchup. The in-form Astros are sending Luis Garcia to the mound for this one, so there is no reason to think that they will suddenly slow down. Read our full Astros vs Guardians preview.
Must-read
Our football coverage continues to heat up with a whole host of team previews. On the NFL side we have most recently discussed the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. In the college ranks we have hit the ground running with the three programs that will start the 2022 season at the top of the rankings: Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State.
As for more immediate matters, make sure to note our best YRFI/NRFI bets for Saturday’s MLB schedule in addition to our Yankees-Cardinals same game parlay.
Check out more great content as it arrives throughout the day on the Analysis tab.
Stat of the Day
Nottingham Forest added striker Taiwo Awoniyi during the offseason and he scored 15 goals for Union Berlin in the Bundesliga last year. Meanwhile, Brennan Johnson was one of only 6 players in last season’s EFL Championship to record double-digit totals in both goals and assists. Nottingham Forest is playing in the English Premier League for the first time since 1999 and the over may be the way to go in its first game post-promotion against Newcastle on Saturday.
Quote of the Day
“He’s going to come at me. He’s going to try to pressure me from the start. He’ll end up leaving some openings upon which I will capitalize. If I don’t finish the fight within two rounds, he’ll suffer for five rounds. That much I can say.”
— Thiago Santos on Jamahal Hill ahead of their UFC Vegas 59 Main Card fight on Saturday night.
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