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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, NCAAB and MLB Previews and Odds - 03/28/2024

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

The Thursday sports card features NBA, NHL, NCAAB, and MLB action.The National Basketball Association has two games on its docket. The Boston Celtics travel to Atlanta to play the Hawks at 7:40 p.m. ET as a 16-point road favorite, with the total set at 227.5 (all odds from DraftKings). The Milwaukee Bucks play in New Orleans against the Pelicans at 8:10 p.m. ET as a 2.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 224.5. The National Hockey League has 14 games on its slate. Five NHL games drop the puck at 7:07 p.m. ET. The Florida Panthers host the New York Islanders as a -198 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Philadelphia Flyers are in Montreal to play the Canadiens as a -155 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6. The Ottawa Senators play at home against the Chicago Blackhawks as a -198 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The Pittsburgh Penguins are at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets as a -225 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Washington Capitals as a -185 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The Carolina Hurricanes play at home against the Detroit Red Wings at 7:37 p.m. ET as a -238 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. Three NHL games drop the puck at 8:07 p.m. ET. The Minnesota Wild are at home against the San Jose Sharks as a -375 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The St. Louis Blues host the Calgary Flames as a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. The Winnipeg Jets play at home against the Vegas Golden Knights as a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 6. Two more NHL games start at 9:07 p.m. ET. The Colorado Avalanche are at home against the New York Rangers as a -162 money-line favor with an over/under of 6.5. The Edmonton Oilers host the Los Angeles Kings as a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 6. Three games conclude the NHL card at 10:07 p.m. ET. The Nashville Predators visit Arizona to play the Coyotes as a -170 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6. The Seattle Kraken play at home against the Anaheim Ducks as a -230 money-line favorite with a total of 5.5. The Dallas Stars play in Vancouver against the Canucks as a -112 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6. The college basketball schedule has the first four games in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Arizona battles Clemson on CBS at 7:09 p.m. ET as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 152.5. Connecticut faces San Diego State on TBS at 7:39 p.m. ET as an 11-point favorite with an over/under of 136.North Carolina challenges Alabama on CBS at 9:40 p.m. ET as a 4.5-point favorite with a total of 173.5. Iowa State plays Illinois on TBS at 10:10 p.m. ET as a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 146.5. The domestic Opening Day card in Major League Baseball has 13 games on its schedule. The Baltimore Orioles are at home against the Los Angeles Angels at 3:05 p.m. ET as a -192 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. Eight MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:10 p.m. ET. The Cincinnati Reds host the Washington Nationals as a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Tampa Bay Rays play at home against the Toronto Blue Jays as a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Miami Marlins are at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates as a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Minnesota Twins travel to Kansas City to play the Royals as a -122 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The Detroit Tigers play in Chicago against the White Sox as a -185 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Houston Astros host the New York Yankees as a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The San Diego Padres play at home against the San Francisco Giants as a -115 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The San Diego Padres are at home against the San Francisco Giants as a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the St. Louis Cardinals as a -230 money-line favorite, with an over/under of 8.5. The Texas Rangers play at home against the Chicago Cubs on ESPN at 7:35 p.m. ET as a -118 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Cleveland Guardians are in Oakland against the A’s at 10:07 p.m. ET as a -162 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Two more games conclude the MLB card at 10:10 p.m. ET. The Seattle Mariners are at home against the Boston Red Sox as a -175 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Arizona Cardinals host the Colorado Rockies as a -245 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5.

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MLB 2024: AL West Division Preview

by Scott Rickenbach

Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024

AL West Division Preview for MLB 2024First number is the estimated projected wins per sportsbook odds while the second number is last season’s win total. This is followed by quick information on each team that likely impacts their season.Houston Astros – 93.5 projected wins. Last season 90 wins. Astros looks so strong with the big acquisition of star closer Josh Hader. That means rock solid Ryan Pressly can be the setup man. One concern for the Astros is other injuries impacting the pitching staff heading into the season and some guys will be out multiple months. The Rangers have similar issues though so this division should be a 3-team race with the Mariners also in the mix. Los Angeles Angels – 72.5 projected wins. Last season 73 wins. Considering Trout having health issues last season and the fact that Ohtani is now in Dodger blue, I just can’t trust Trout to stay healthy all season and carry this team. Though the win totals in the marketplace are in the low 70s, just like last season’s final tally for LA, I just can not see them getting there. They have been struggling in recent seasons and now lost Ohtani. That also hurts their rotation too. This team has a respectable bullpen but I don’t trust their lineup and their pitching rotation seems top-heavy. The Angels struggle again this season. Oakland Athletics – 57.5 projected wins. Last season 50 wins. This organization is a mess and the move to Las Vegas has this team struggling bad in Oakland. It is such a bad situation and this will again be the worst team in the league this season. An unimpressive lineup, a bullpen that is also a weakness, and a starting rotation that has some talented arms but will those guys be traded away before the trade deadline? The A’s are truly just a mess right now and in for another long season. Seattle Mariners – 87.5 projected wins. Last season 88 wins. The Mariners have a solid pitching rotation and they did make some quieter pick-ups in the off-season but they are additions that could pay dividends quicker than people think. One of the keys is that they added some veteran guys with post-season experience and that can pay dividends for a team battling closely with the Astros and Rangers again this season in this division. Julio Rodriguez is a rising star in Seattle too! Texas Rangers – 88.5 projected wins. Last season 90 wins. Scherzer and Mahle and deGrom all have injury issues that are long-term. They are all expected back by mid-season but at varying times and, of course, nothing concrete when it comes to injuries. This team can hit so well however and coming off the huge post-season leading to the title and this team looks similar in strength to the last season with a solid lineup again. 

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MLB 2024: AL Central Division Preview

by Scott Rickenbach

Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024

AL Central Division Preview for MLB 2024First number is the estimated projected wins per sportsbook odds while the second number is last season’s win total. This is followed by quick information on each team that likely impacts their season.Chicago White Sox – 61.5 projected wins. Last season 61 wins. There is just not much here with this team and they were near the bottom of the league across the board for most statistical team categories last season. They just do not have the talent in pitchers, relievers, or the lineup. They need to rebuild. Cleveland Guardians – 79.5 projected wins. Last season 76 wins. This team is so bad offensively and did not address that. For that reason I will be surprised if this team tops last season’s 76 wins. Keep in mind, the Tigers have been improving and the Royals look much improved this season. This Guardians club could struggle again. They are decent pitching-wise but will Triston McKenzie be back and pitching the way he use to?Detroit Tigers – 80.5 projected wins. Last season 78 wins. I like rooting for dogs and the Tigers have come a long way from a tougher period in recent seasons. That said, the Tigers could even challenge the Twins in this division. Detroit has a decent lineup. Not great but scrappy and should do enough here to keep them in most games. That’s because their pitching looks quite solid with decent starts and Casey Mize is back in the rotation and is showing glimpses of his 2022 self. Kansas City Royals – 74.5 projected wins. Last season 56 wins. Maybe expecting a 20-win improvement is too much but this team did improve the pitching quite a bit as they re-worked both the rotation and bullpen. Also, the fact the lineup looks mostly the same in terms of position players will at least lead to projected continuity for this group. KC was not a great hitting team last season but they were at least middle of the pack for batting average. In a weak division, they could surprise here. Minnesota Twins – 86.5 projected wins. Last season 87 wins.  Not a great team but strong enough for this division! The Twins took advantage last season of playing in a division in which two of the other 4 teams averaged just 58.5 wins. They have a solid guy at the top of rotation in Pablo Lopez but I don’t trust their other guys too much outside of Joe Ryan. This team has a solid lineup at the top but again it really is questionable at the back. They are the top team in the Central but will not dominate.

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