TTL Edition: #75: Tuesday’s Monster Slate
NBA & MLB Plays, Cross-Sport Twofer Tuesday Parlay, Cam Newton Turns 32, & “Run, Don’t Jog”
Monday Recap:
TTL Pod Picks (2-3-1) (+1.45u):
NBA: NOP/MEM o226 L, Bucks -6.5 L
MLB: Red F5 +0.5 L, Red Sox F5 ML P
Monday Madness Parlay: W
Moneyline Dice Roll: Florida Panthers ML W
Welcome into this absolutely loaded 75th Edition of the TTL Newsletter! We’ve been cruising right along, and can’t thank you all enough for hammering in some bets on the daily with the Crew! We say it all the time, but none of this would be possible without you so we can’t tell you how much we appreciate it! There are some new & improved updates coming to the TTL Crew as you know it, so make sure you stay tuned to all of our content and media outlets to get the latest news! Now back to today’s loaded Edition. We have 6 straight plays for you to hammer in on this beautiful Tuesday of bets, and of course the usual Twofer Tuesday Parlay. This week’s parlay is paying out at right around 3/1 odds, and is a juicy add to your Tuesday betslip. RMags wishes Cam Newton a Happy Birthday in his Sidebar and shares a compilation of the great plays of his career. Colt provides a new perspective on giving you maximum effort in his Inspiration Corner, and this is one sure to get the Tuesday energy flowing in the right direction. It’s a beautiful day to place a few bets! Let’s cash some tickets!
TTL Picks
Texas Rangers vs San Francisco Giants Over 8.5 (2:45pm CST)
To get the day off and running, we are headed to the total in the MLB slate’s first matchup of the day. Jordan Lyles will get the start for the Rangers and he will face Logan Webb for the Giants. Both of these pitchers have seen some rough outings to say the least in this 2021 campaign. Lyles comes into town sporting an ERA over 7, while Webb’s is north of 5. Over Lyle’s last two starts he recorded a combined 9 innings pitched, allowing a total of 8 ER. Webb’s last two starts are quite similar, over 9.2 innings, he allowed 9 ER. At home, the Giants are 8-7-1 to the over at home, while Texas holds a strong 10-6-1 over record on the road. Both offenses are rolling into this game with some mojo. Entering Monday night, the Giants have hit the over in eight straight games, compared to the Rangers last three to the over. This could be an afternoon shootout out there in California, give us the over. TTL Pick: Texas Rangers vs San Francisco Giants Over 8.5
Denver Nuggets -6 vs Charlotte Hornets (6:00pm CST)
The Denver Nuggets travel to Charlotte for a late season matchup as both of these teams gear up for postseason play. The Nuggets will be coming into this game with two days of rest, while the Hornets were inactive on Monday after a loss on Sunday to New Orleans without Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson. Additionally, the Hornets are 0-4 ATS over their last four games playing on one day of rest. On top of the rest advantage, what stands out is the strength of schedules over the last week and beyond. The Hornets are 2-6 ATS over their last 8, with recent SU losses to the Pelicans as mentioned, and Chicago. Their only covers during that stretch came against Orlando and Detroit. Denver on the other hand, is 6-3 SU over their last 9. While they did lose their last two games, those losses came at the hands of Brooklyn and Utah. The Nuggets are 13-10 ATS after a loss, and after two tough losses, we like the Nuggets to bounce back given the extra days off. TTL Pick: Denver Nuggets -6
Baltimore Orioles ML (+132) vs NY Mets (6:10pm CST)
Fresh off a no-hitter and with 5 days rest, John Means will take the mound again for the Orioles. Means has been electric to start the season holding a 4-0 record with a 1.37 ERA, 50 K, 10 BB, and .187 OBPA in 46 innings pitched. The Orioles’ bats also come to life when Means takes the bump, and have scored a combined 17 runs in his last 3 starts providing plenty of run support for their red hot Starting Pitcher. The Orioles will face Marcus Stroman on the mound for the Mets. Stroman has been solid in his own right, but nowhere near the level of the O’s Ace. Over 6 outings on the season Stroman holds a 3-3 record with a 2.10 ERA, 29 K, 7 BB, and a .268 OBP in 34.1 innings, and his last 3 starts have all been losses. The Orioles are 11-5 SU as an away underdog, and 4-2 SU in their last 6 as an away dog. The Mets may have had a few hot games, but the regression monster is lurking for them yet again. The Mets are 11-11 SU as a favorite on the season, 7-4 SU as a home favorite, but are 1-5 SU with 1 day’s rest. This matchup ultimately comes down to the hotter hand on the mound and the team whose bats come alive with said pitcher on the mound. Take the O’s with confidence going into New York tonight. TTL Pick: Baltimore Orioles ML (+132)
Oakland A’s vs Boston Red Sox ML (-134) (6:10pm CST)
The MLB’s top offense, and AL East leader, Boston, takes on the AL West’s current first place team, the Oakland A’s. The pitching matchup is a key factor in this game with righties Nathan Eovaldi facing off against Chris Bassitt. While Bassitt has been solid, he has allowed at least two runs in each of his starts this season. As mentioned, the Red Sox have the number one scoring offense in the MLB, and a good amount of that success has come at home against right handers. Eovaldi, has been a little more sporadic than Bassitt, but the key here is the success that Eovaldi has had against the A’s offense over his career. When we say success, we should really be saying dominance. Oakland’s starting lineup is a career 1-29 lifetime against Eovaldi, and the lone hitter to record a hit, Ramon Laureano, is currently day-to-day. This Oakland offense uses noodles when they face Eovaldi, and that should continue tonight, as he also is looking for a nice bounce back after a tough outing in his last start. Give us the top scoring offense in the league to give Eovaldi some big time support. TTL Pick: Boston Red Sox ML (-134)
LA Angels F5 ML (+122) vs Houston Astros (7:10pm CST)
Shohei Ohtani takes the mound tonight for the Angels, and Lance McCullers takes the mound for the ‘Stros. Ohtani has lived up to the hype so far this season and will look to have another solid outing against a Houston team that has been hit or miss this season. The Angels are 3-1 with Ohtani on the mound so far, and minus one rough outing against the Rangers, Ohtani has been on point. Over 18.2 innings pitched, Ohtani sports a 2.41 ERA with 30 K, 19 BB, 7 H, and 1 HR. In the opposite dugout, McCullers has also struggled at times this season just like his team and holds a 2-1 record with a 3.58 ERA, 38 K, 18 BB, and a .304 OBP over 32.2 innings. The last time these teams played with McCullers on the mound, the Angels won the F5 innings 2-0, and went on to win the game 4-2. Ohtani has yet to have his chance to burn the ‘Stros this season, and you can bet he’ll be geared up for a solid showing tonight. Give us all of Ohtani and the Angels to have their way early on in this matchup. TTL Pick: LA Angels F5 ML (+122)
Miami Marlins vs Arizona Diamondbacks Under 7.5 (8:40pm CST)
This National League matchup features two teams on identical paths, with nearly identical records, and 2 pitchers who have been razor sharp this season. This is the 2nd game out of a 4 game series, and if any one is likely to be a pitcher’s duel this is the matchup. The under is 3-1-1 Lopez’s last 5 starts for the Marlins, and one of those under starts happens to be against these same Dbacks with Bumgarner on the mound. The under is 2-3 in Bumgarner's last 5 starts, but in the recent game, just 5 days ago against the ‘Stros, the total did go under and he was dominant. Bumgarner went 6 innings with 7 K, 0 BB, 2 H, and 1 ER which was a HR. Lopez was also dominant in the meeting going 5 innings in the matchup with 6 K, 2 BB, 3 H, and 0 ER. The game ended 3-1 Miami, with only 2 runs scoring in the 1st two innings, and the 2 final runs being scored in the bottom of the 7th. We’re looking for a very similar performance from both pitchers tonight, and for both bullpens to clean up any extra innings that are needed. Take this total to go well under in a pitching affair tonight. TTL Pick: Miami Marlins vs Arizona Diamondbacks Under 7.5
Special Play Of The Day: Twofer Tuesday Parlay
Miami Heat -2.5 vs Boston Celtics (6:30pm CST)
The Miami Heat look to continue their recent success that has seen them roll off five wins over their last six games. Miami’s recent success can be attributed to the turnaround they have made on the offensive end of the floor. They are playing without a doubt the most consistently that they have played all season offensively, scoring at least 120 in four of those five wins. Their most recent win came at Boston on Sunday, a game that was controlled by Miami from start to finish. The Celtics were, and will again be without a Jaylen Brown, a focal point of their offense and defensive gameplan. Given Miami’s recent success coupled with the absence of Brown, we see no reason why the Heat should control this game much like Sunday.
St. Louis Cardinals ML (+106) vs Milwaukee Brewers (6:40pm CST)
The St. Louis Cardinals have quietly been one of the hottest teams in the NL over the last few weeks. They are 9-2 over their last 11 games to propel them to a 2-game lead over these Brewers in the NL Central. The Cards will roll out Kwang Hyun Kim to the mound, and he has been very serviceable, allowing only 1 ER in each of his last three starts. The Brewers, contrary to the Cardinals, have been a little shaky over the last week. They finally were able to snap a six game losing streak this weekend, taking two from the Miami Marlins. They will give Freddy Peralta the start tonight, and he is coming off a 5 ER shelling at the hands of the Phillies. St. Louis’ bats have had some success against Peralta in his career, most notably Paul Goldschmidt 4-5 (.800). We like Kim and the Cards to handle the Brew Crew in this one.
Twofer Tuesday Parlay: Heat -1.5, Cardinals ML = Odds: +293
RMag’s Sidebar
Today marks the 32nd birthday for Mr. Cam Newton, and I decided it was a solid time to pay the man some respect. Did things end smoothly in Carolina? Not quite, but at 32, this man is not finished yet. When Newton resigned with New England this offseason, the move was followed by a great deal of ridicule towards the Patriots. Did Newton’s 2020 season end well? No it did not, but if you look at the season closer, I’m going to give Newton a pass due to the after effects of COVID. To kick off the season, Newton had the Patriots at 2-1, their lone loss came to Seattle, losing in the final seconds. New England fans were pleased with Newton’s play and the way their new team was playing. Then COVID hit Newton and others in the locker room and the season went in the trash. Now you give Newton another shot with assumed full health and a full recovery from the virus? Give me the Pats to make a run at the playoffs in 2021. Call me crazy, I’ll be here waiting when Bill and Cam are the surprise of the league. For now, enjoy some of Newton’s greatest moments with the Panthers. Is it September yet?
Colt’s Inspiration Corner
“Run, Don’t Jog”
If you’ve played a sport at some point in your life, there has undoubtedly been a time when your coach has told you in one way or another “We run in between the lines!” Whether you were coming into the dugout at the end of an inning, coming into the huddle during a timeout, or coming off the floor for a substitution your coach expected you to hussle in doing so. It may have felt like your coach was rushing you at the time, but in reality they were teaching you a valuable lesson that you can apply for your entire life. Whether you’re on the field of play, or taking a minute to catch your breath on the sidelines, it should always be done with maximum effort. Regardless of what you're currently chasing after in life, giving 150% is the only option you have in attaining it.
Giving your maximum effort simply comes down to the decisions that you make.
You can either choose to jog towards your goals and hope they come to fruition, or you can run towards them and ensure that they do. Sometimes giving your 150% effort towards a goal means simply not giving up. Other times it can mean going the extra mile when everything inside you is telling you to stop walking. Ultimately, achieving your goals all comes back to “giving everything you got” in every situation. The only thing that stands between you and success is yourself and your effort. If you choose to simply try at the best of your abilities, there is no limit to what you can achieve.
As the great Vince Lombardi once said, “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” No matter the situation, if you give 150%, it will only make you want to achieve more. If you put maximum effort into every goal you chase, then you will be less likely to quit when the going gets rough. Continue to pursue your passions with every ounce of your being, and watch doors open in your life that you never thought were possible. When those doors open, don’t take a rest and begin to jog because you finally made it, run through them and continue to give your all!
Daily Challenge: Today’s phrase of the day is, “Run, Don’t Jog”. If you want to achieve your goals, then the only option you have is to give 150% effort. There’s no stopping at 100% and just good enough. If you give everything you have, no matter what goal you’re pursuing, then there is no reason as to why it won’t be a success. Simply continue to try and your life will be led in directions that you could have never imagined. If you don’t believe me saying that maximum effort is the most important thing in achieving your goals, take it from the legendary coach John Wooden, “I continually stress to my players that all I expect from them at practice and in the games is their maximum effort.” It’s all it takes to achieve the life you’ve imagined. Have a spectacular Tuesday my friend.