SportsLine's Top Weekend Picks: MLB, NBA, NHL... So Much Action
San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Friday, May 11, 2018, 7:05 pm ET
SAN FRANCISCO +126
The Giants are undervalued on the road against Jameson Taillon. Taillon has been sharp, especially at home, but my simulations indicate this game should be closer to a pick 'em. I have the Giants winning 49 percent of simulations behind Andrew Suarez. Take the value road dog at +126.
SportsLine Expert: Mike McClure (9-3 in last 12 NHL picks)
Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins
Friday, May 11, 2018, 7:10 pm ET
ATLANTA -135
The wOBA model likes the value on the Braves despite being road favorites in Miami. Brandon McCarthy will really benefit from the large positive park shift, moving from Atlanta to Miami. The Braves should be -145 to -150 against Dan Straily. Lay it with the road favorite.
SportsLine Expert: Mike McClure (9-3 in last 12 NHL picks)
Washington Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Friday, May 11, 2018, 9:40 pm ET
OVER 7.5
My projections see at least nine runs crossing the plate Friday between the Nationals and Diamondbacks, providing a strong position on the Over against a total of 7.5. The Over has hit in five straight starts by Max Scherzer and is 6-0 when he starts Game 2 of a series. The Over also is on a 7-2 run between these clubs in Arizona.
SportsLine Expert: Stephen Oh (18-10 in last 28 MLB picks)
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Alex Ovechkin (Photo Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Friday, May 11, 2018, 8:00 pm ET
TAMPA BAY -1.5
So, here's the deal. The Lightning have been the dominant Eastern team because they are fast, highly skilled and not shy about playing very physical defense. The addition of Chris Kunitz has been a key factor in bringing Stanley Cub experience to the lineup, and the squad is playing like it means business this season. For all the speculation about Steven Stamkos leaving Tampa before the season started, we now see that he was right in staying. The Lightning have a great shot to bring home hockey's biggest prize back to Florida. First though are the Capitals, fresh off a landmark win over archrival Pittsburgh. On paper, the Caps appear to be overmatched, but the game isn't played on paper. Tampa Bay should be able to mix it up and score against a Washington defense that has trouble containing Nikita Kucherov, Stamkos and Alex Killorn. The key to any hope the Capitals may have is to be on the plus side of the special-teams ledger, but Tampa is not a highly penalized team, which can be problematic. The Lightning are good at home, have a vastly superior goaltender, are bigger, more rugged defensemen and more explosive firepower. Give up the 1.5 goals and ride Tampa to a decisive Game 1 conference final victory.
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SportsLine Expert: David Kelly (214-142-7 in last 363 NHL picks)
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics
Sunday, May 13, 2018, 3:30 pm ET
OVER 203
My data sees at least 215 points hitting the board Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavaliers and Celtics, a scoring pace that would crush the Over against this modest NBA total. The Over is on a 16-5 run in Boston home games, while Cleveland is on a 5-1 run to the Over in the postseason.
SportsLine Expert: Stephen Oh (12-8 in last 20 NBA ML picks)
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