A spot in the World Series will be decided on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
After failing to close out the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series at home on Monday, the Philadelphia Phillies will get another shot on Tuesday night in a win or go home Game 7.
The Phillies smashed the Diamondbacks in Games 1 and 2 at home, before blowing leads in Game 3 and Game 4 losses when the series shifted to Arizona. In a pivotal Game 5, the Phillies’ bats came alive in a 6-1 win and it looked like they would be able to wrap up their second consecutive NL pennant back home for Game 6.
Instead, the Diamondbacks posted a 5-1 upset to force Game 7.
Entering Monday night, the Phillies were a perfect 5-0 at home during the postseason and 11-2 at home over their last two playoff runs. But the Diamondbacks jumped on Phillies starter Aaron Nola, tagging him for three runs in the second inning. Nola had allowed a total of two earned runs over 18.2 innings in his previous three starts this postseason, including seven shutout innings in Game 2.
This was a different story and the high-powered Phillies’ bats were stymied by Merrill Kelly and the Arizona bullpen.
In Game 7, we will see a rematch of the starting pitchers from Game 3 — lefty Ranger Suarez for Philadelphia and righty Brandon Pfaadt for Arizona. Both pitchers performed well on that night. Suarez didn’t allow a run, allowed only three hits and struck out seven in 5.1 innings. Pfaadt was better. He went 5.2 innings and struck out nine while giving up only two hits. With everything on the line, both will have short leashes in this game.
With the home crowd behind them, the Phillies are listed as -175 favorites for Game 7 at BetMGM. The Diamondbacks are +145 underdogs and the total is listed at 8.5 runs.
The winner will face the Texas Rangers in the World Series with Game 1 set for Friday in Arlington.
NBA regular season begins with two big matchups
The NBA is finally back. To kick off the festivities, we’ve got two awesome matchups in the Western Conference with the defending champion Denver Nuggets hosting the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors hosting the Phoenix Suns.
The Nuggets, who return five of their top six scorers led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, are 5.5-point favorites at BetMGM. The Lakers return stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis but will debut a new-look lineup that includes free agent additions like Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince and Christian Wood.
The spread is tighter in the nightcap with the Warriors listed as just 1.5-point favorites over the Suns. The Suns made a big splash in the offseason by landing Bradley Beal to pair with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. On the other side, the Warriors will slot veteran Chris Paul in at point guard alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
College football: Can Liberty stay undefeated?
In its first season in Conference USA, Liberty is one of the nine remaining undefeated teams in the FBS. Formerly an independent program, the Flames have not had much trouble with C-USA competition. They are 7-0 overall and 5-0 in conference play, though two of their last three wins have been decided by seven points or fewer.
On Tuesday night, Liberty will head to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to face a struggling Western Kentucky team. The Hilltoppers have had one of the nation’s best offenses over the past two seasons. They combined to go 13-3 in C-USA play over those two seasons, but have not looked quite as prolific this year.
WKU is coming off a last-second 20-17 loss at Jacksonville State, which is in its first season as an FBS member. Can the Hilltoppers bounce back as a home underdog? They are currently 5.5-point underdogs at BetMGM with the total listed at 61.5.
Elsewhere in Conference USA, Louisiana Tech is set to host New Mexico State. The Bulldogs (3-5, 2-2 C-USA) have lost their last two games, both by one-possession margins while NMSU is riding a three-game winning streak. Louisiana Tech is favored by 2.5 points with the total listed at 51.5.
Busy night in the NHL
It's an action-packed night in the NHL with all 32 teams back on the ice.
Among the most-intriguing matchups on Tuesday include the Carolina Hurricanes as -125 favorites on the road over the Tampa Bay Lightning (+105), the red hot Detroit Red Wings as -135 home favorites over the Seattle Kraken (+115) and the undefeated Boston Bruins as -225 road favorites over the Chicago Blackhawks (+185).
What’s the best bet?
I’m a college football guy, so I’ll stick with what I know. I don’t think the market has completely caught up with how much of a step back Western Kentucky has taken compared to past seasons. Despite that, I don’t want to lay 5.5 with Liberty on the road. But I do like the under 61.5.
