TTL Edition: #71: Tuesday’s Money Moves
Picks From Around The Sports Landscape, MLB Twofer Tuesday Parlay, Zach Wilson Appreciation, & “Commit To The Process, Not The Product”
Monday Recap:
TTL Pod Picks (2-5):
NBA: Knicks ML L
NHL: Flames ML L, Coyotes ML L
MLB: Royals ML W, A’s F5 -0.5 W, COL/SF u7.5 L
Monday Madness Parlay: L
Welcome into Tuesday’s Newsletter Edition of Talking The Line! Thanks for stopping by, and helping the Crew bankrupt the books one play at-a-time! Let’s put yesterday’s bad beats behind us, and lock in for today’s action! This edition has 4 straight plays, 2 from the MLB, 1 from the NBA, and 1 from the NHL. It’s also the second day of the week, so you already know it’s time for another Twofer Tuesday Parlay. This week’s Twofer features 2 MLB legs, 1 ML and 1 RL. Get yourself ready for the NFL Draft, and stop by RMag’s Sidebar for a compilation of Zach Wilson’s Top 10 Plays. Stop by Colt’s Inspiration Corner for keys on attaining the “process over product” mindset. Be sure to tell all your gambling pals about TTL! It’s a beautiful day to place a few bets! Let’s cash some tickets!
TTL Picks
Kansas City Royals vs Pirates Pirates ML (+100) (5:35pm CST)
To kick off the evening, we are heading to a matchup that features two teams that have exceeded preseason expectations through the early portion of the season. The Kansas City Royals enter this game on a five game win streak, however the last four have come against one of the coldest offenses in baseball, the Detroit Tigers. Unlike Detroit, the Pirates offense has shown consistency recently. After a 1-6 open to the 2021 campaign, Pittsburgh is 10-5 in their last fifteen, and are coming off a series win over Minnesota where they won two of three, scoring six in each of the two wins. Couple of interesting trends to watch in this game, the Royals will start Jakob Junis, and KC is 0-7 in his last 7 interleague starts. More significantly, the Royals are 0-6 in their last six games in Pittsburgh. Give us the Bucs to end the Royals run. TTL Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates ML (+100)
Milwaukee Bucks vs Charlotte Hornets +9 (6:00pm CST)
For our lone NBA play of the evening, we find the Hornets in an interesting spot. There are a few aspects that we like here so let’s just lay out the facts. Charlotte is closing a three game home stand, after having won each of their first two games over Cleveland and Boston, the latter as an 8-point dog. Charlotte is 11-5-1 ATS as a home underdog this season, and 16-11-1 ATS at home overall. The Hornets are 22-18-1 ATS on one day rest, while Milwaukee is 17-21 ATS with one day off. Milwaukee is coming off a strange loss at Atlanta without Trae Young as a 5.5-point favorite. The Bucks are 12-18 ATS this season, including 12-16 ATS as an away favorite. Milwaukee currently stands third in the Eastern Conference, and while it’s not over until it’s over, you can almost pencil them into that spot for the playoffs, and could allow them to start resting their guys towards the end of games such as this. The Hornets on the other hand are fighting for a critical position at the back half of the conference. They currently stand in the 8th spot, and are still very much alive for a top six seed to avoid any play-in games. We absolutely love this spot for the Hornets tonight with a big spread. TTL Pick: Charlotte Hornets +9
Washington Nationals vs Toronto Blue Jays u8.5 (6:07pm CST)
This under has a great deal of value with Max Scherzer taking the mound for the Nats tonight. When Mad Max is in the zone, he is as scary as anyone in the league, and he is most definitely in the zone. After a mediocre start to open the season, he has allowed just one run over his last three starts, including 19 innings of work. He has been a friend to the under, keeping the total low and cashing the under in each of those three starts. The Nationals offense has been inconsistent to say the least. In four of their last five games, they have scored more than three runs only once, and that includes a couple of shutouts. Over that five game stretch, Nationals unders are 4-0-1. The under is 5-0 in the Nats last 5 as a favorite, and the under is 4-0 for the Blue Jays in their last four as a home dog. Give us a low scoring matchup tonight. TTL Pick: Nationals vs Blue Jays Under 8.5
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks o5.5 (7:00pm CST)
Tonight’s meeting between the Bolts and the Hawks will be the 8th time these teams have met this season, and their combined over-under record is 3-3-1 in the previous 7 meetings. These teams have met 3 times this season in Chicago, and the total has gone over in 2 of those 3 matchups, 4-3(Hawks W) & 3-6(Bolts W). The Hawks have backed themselves into a corner, and now face the toughest portion of their schedule with the season on the line. The Lightning found themselves jockeying between 2nd & 3rd in the Central Division, and have all but solidified their playoff spot yet again. The Hawks are coming off a 3-1 loss to Nashville, but they have been a solid team after a loss on the season, and have scored 9 goals combined in their last 2 games after a loss. The Lightning have scored 3 or more goals in 4 out of their last 5 games, and will keep that momentum rolling against this soft Blackhawks defense. The over is 10-2 in the Lightning’s last 12 road games, and the over is 4-1 in their last 5 versus a team with a losing record. We’re predicting a final score of 5-3 in this one tonight. TTL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks Over 5.5
Special Play Of The Day: Twofer Tuesday Parlay
Philadelphia Phillies ML (-112) vs St. Louis Cardinals (6:45pm CST)
The Phillies won the series opener between these two teams last night 2-1, and should find even more success at the plate in game 2 of the series today. Zach Eflin is taking the mound for the Phillies, and Carlos Martinez takes the bump for the Cards. These two teams have met once already this season with these two pictures on the mound, and it didn’t end well for the Cards. The Phillies won that matchup 9-2, and Eflin had 6 K, 0 BB, and 2 ER. Martinez struggled heavily pitching 5 innings with 5 K, 2 BB, and 6 ER. Martinez has struggled all season as a matter of fact, and the Phillies are not a team that any pitcher should try to get out of a slump on. This one will be a field day for the Phillies from the 1st pitch, who have scored 28 runs in their last 6 games compared to the Cards 14 runs over their last 6. Give us the Phillies to take game 2 of this series with ease.
Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox -1.5 (-114) (7:10pm CST)
Lucas Giolito takes the mound for the White Sox tonight, and he is looking for a big bounceback performance after a massive disappointment in his last start against the Red Sox. After the game Giolito admitted that it was a tough offense that had the right game plan and he pitched right into it. Well, as mentioned earlier in the newsletter this Detroit offense is nothing to write home about right now. Chicago’s offense on the other hand, appears to be turning a corner after a slower than expected start to kick the season off. The White Sox have won four straight games and scored at least eight runs in three of those four games. This could be a massacre on the South Side tonight against an inconsistent Jose Urena.
Twofer Tuesday Parlay: Phillies ML, White Sox -1.5 = Total Odds: +255
RMag’s Sidebar
The NFL Draft kicks off Thursday, and I thought I’d highlight a guy that maybe some of you haven’t actually seen much of. Zach Wilson out of BYU seems to be as much of a lock for the 2nd overall pick, as Trevor Lawrence is for the 1st overall pick. Not much necessity to highlight Trevor Lawrence, as we’ve all seen him on the biggest spotlights for the past couple of seasons. While the rest of the draft is very much uncertain, Wilson appears to be headed for the Jets to begin a new chapter in their franchise, and hopefully for their sake, a chapter that is much more successful than the last few. The kid can play, but will he be able to handle this new level of pressure that comes with the NFL and the New York Jets? Time will tell.
Colt’s Inspiration Corner
“Commit to the Process, Not the Product”
As the great & powerful Inky Johnson likes to say, “How can you stay committed to something without being emotionally attached to it?” How is it possible to keep giving your maximum effort, even when you’re not getting the answers that you desire? When faced with opposition, why does it seem easier for one person to overcome the challenge than it does for others? The answer to all of the above questions is mindset, and you have the ability to start applying the correct mindset now. I can promise you that it will not be easy, but in the long run it will lead to a much higher chance of success in your life. Not success as in “accomplishment of an aim or purpose”, but success as in “Happy, Fulfilled, & Joyful”.
The mindset you should aim to create is one that does not worry about the ultimate goal, but rather focuses on all the additional things you have the opportunity to learn & experience along the way. Creating this mindset takes continuous cultivation and dedicated work. When things aren’t going the way you expected them to, or you’re not getting the answers that you thought you would, take the time to be conscious of the things that you are gaining from the situation you find yourself in. I can promise you that even though it may not feel like it right now, the current “why is this happening to me” moment that you’re going through, is there to teach you something. You may not know why right now, or even a year from now, but eventually everything will come full circle in your favor and you will have become a better person because of that moment. That my friends is serendipity in its purest form.
When you fix your mindset on all the opportunities you’re presented with during “the process”, you will find that “the product” has become an afterthought. When you consistently apply the “process over product” mindset, you become more concerned with how a specific situation is benefiting you now, rather than how it is benefiting your ultimate goal. You will begin to look for every chance you can to apply this mindset, and will find abundant fulfillment when you use it to get to that “AH HA” moment. Consistently applying this mindset will cause you to want more out of this life, and to find the reasons as to why certain things are placed in your path. Falling in love with the process is not easy, but when you do it is the most freeing feeling you can find. No one will be able to stop you, nothing will be able to break you down, and you will find that each new day presents the opportunity for you to become a better version of yourself. After all, it’s all the small steps that we take on our paths that help us cover the journey of a thousand miles.
Daily Challenge: Today’s phrase of the day is, “I Commit To The Process, Not The Product.” Devote yourself to your process, and don’t skip over all the “boring moments” in between. Every single situation you encounter in your life is there to teach you something. Either you can keep fighting it, or you can let it work for you. Formulate & stick to your goals, but don’t let them cloud your focus on the present moment and what you’re learning. In the end, what’s more important? What you acquired, or who you became? Have a spectacular Tuesday my friend.