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MLB Predictions – Blue Jays vs. Pirates Game Preview

September 3, 2022 No Comments

MLB Predictions Toronto Blue Jays vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Over/Under: 8 Odds: Blue Jays –172, Pirates +144 Time: 6:35 PM ET MLB Predictions MLB predictions are back once more. This time we head down to watch the Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates. We will be seeing the Blue Jays start Trevor Richards for this game. Richards hasn’t been declared the winning pitcher much, appearing in 51.2 innings and holding onto a 3-1 total record on the season. During this time span, Richards has been able to post a 4.53 ERA and 66 total strikeouts. Lately, Richards hasn’t been able to help pull Toronto out of tough situations. He had seen the Blue Jays lose seven straight games before helping them win three out of their past five. It’s an interesting start for Toronto, but as a team they’ve been able to get the job done against the Pirates. Flipping over to the Pirates, they are starting Roansy Contreras on the mound. Contreras is 4-4 on the year behind a solid 3.57 ERA. We haven’t seen him make an appearance for Pittsburgh since August 28th, but it was a 5-0 shutout win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He pitched 5.0 innings and allowed just three hits and zero runs. Similar to Richards getting the start for the Blue Jays, Contreras is an interesting pick to get the start. MLB Picks Today Throughout this entire season, the Blue Jays have only played the Pirates once. That game actually happened to be their most recent game. Toronto took advantage of that game from start to finish, ending the night with a solid 4-0 shutout victory. It’s not a surprise to see the Blue Jays get hit with the favorite label for this game. Toronto has won 10 out of their last 15 games overall coming into this one as they attempt to make an American League Wild Card spot. To make matters worse for the Pirates, they are just 2-8 against playoff contenders since the date August 22nd. They’ve lost series to teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves. This was also the Pirates 82nd loss of the year. Yes, you heard that correctly. They are even on pace to break triple digits at this point. If you’re currently looking to place a bet on the winner of this game, the Blue Jays offer tremendous value and have proven to be the much better team. Not just as of late, but throughout this entire season as well. The current over/under for this game is set at eight runs. The Blue Jays have been excellent at scoring runs this year, while the Pirates haven’t been the most consistent in that department. Throw on two wildcard pitchers and we have ourselves an incredibly tough choice here. If you’re looking to bet on this, I would say that the under might be the safer option. These two teams just scored four total runs in their last matchup against one another. Even if Toronto has a great night, Pittsburgh might get blanked again. Final Pick: Blue Jays -172 Over/Under Choice: Under 8 If you’re looking for more content, click here!

MLB Predictions – Astros vs. Angels Game Preview

September 2, 2022 No Comments

MLB Predictions Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels Over/Under: 8 Odds: Astros –162, Angels +136 Time: 9:38 PM ET MLB Predictions MLB predictions are back again and this time we have the Houston Astros taking on the Los Angeles Angels. Houston is coming into this game on a three-game winning streak, with an 11-win lead over the second place Seattle Mariners in the American League West standings. Meanwhile, the Angels are coming off of a huge win against the New York Yankees but remain a long 14-game deficit away from an AL Wild Card spot. It’s been announced that Houston is going to be starting Lance McCullers on the mound for this matchup. McCullers hasn’t been out on the field much this season due to spending a long amount of time on the IL list. However, he’s worked up to a 1-1 record and a stellar 1.69 ERA in the games that he’s been healthy for. Over the course of his last couple of games, he’s allowed just three runs in 16 total innings pitched. I think it’s safe to say that Houston is in good hands ahead of this game with the Angels. Although, he could be due for some type of regression in the near future. On the other hand, the Angels are opting to start Reid Detmers in this game. Detmers is 5-4 on the season with a 3.47 ERA to go with it. Throughout the last 28 and a half innings he’s pitched, he’s allowed just eight runs compared to picking up 38 strikeouts. Detmers, just like McCullers, has been starting to get hot as of late. The Angels could be in a good position similar to the Astros if Detmers doesn’t lose any momentum ahead of this contest. MLB Picks Today These two teams have gone up against each other a handful of times this year. So far, the Astros have won nine out of their 13 total games against one another. Not to mention that the majority of these matchups have wound up being on the higher scoring side of things. The Astros are currently favored to win this game which isn’t much of a surprise. Houston has been an excellent team the entire year, with a phenomenal pitching rotation. McCullers might have missed a lot of time throughout the season, but there is no doubt that he can still pitch at the top of his game. For example, he’s gone at least five innings in his last three starts on the mound. Not to mention that the Angels haven’t been able to capitalize off of strong pitching this year. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout have done all that they can for them, there just always seems to be something missing on this roster. Sometimes the pitching excels, other times they can’t register a hit to keep it close. They are far too up and down while the Astros are consistently good across the board. The over/under for this game is currently listed at eight. Seven of their matchups against one another have seen the final score go over eight total runs. There is nothing to suggest that this game isn’t going to score at least eight runs when putting that into consideration. Both Detmers and McCullers have been great as of late, though regression is expected at some point for at least one of them. With the batting power that each squad possesses, the hits should be coming around often. Final Pick: Houston Astros -162 Over/Under Choice: Over 8 If you’re looking for more content, click here!

Spencer Strider Makes Braves History On The Mound

September 2, 2022 No Comments

Spencer Strider has just made history. The Atlanta Braves pitcher has officially done something that’s never been done before since the franchise has been created. Strider got the start against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday as the two teams battled it out in Truist Park. Throughout the night, Strider was consistently shutting down batters. The Braves went on to win 3-0 here and Strider threw 16 strikeouts. To put into perspective of how difficult this has been to accomplish, nobody in Braves history has been able to accomplish this dating back to the year 1893 when the mound was moved back. Mind you, this is the most by a Braves pitcher in a nine-inning game. John Smoltz held onto the previous record for years with 15. Warren Spahn picked up a whopping 18 strikeouts back in 1952 but then again, that matchup went 15 long innings. What’s funny about this entire record-breaking moment was that Strider had no idea he accomplished what he did. This is what he had to say after the game, “I lost track after five. I came out of the game and Kyle Wright was telling me something about John Smoltz or whatever. And I had no idea what he was talking about. It didn’t make any sense. And then somebody else said something and I just kind of looked cross-eyed at them and they were like, you know what just happened? It was neat. It was very cool for them to tell me that.” Strider Was Phenomenal For Atlanta The efficiency he was pitching at on this night made the performance even better. He allowed just two hits throughout the entire night and didn’t walk a single batter. During this game, he threw only 106 pitches, with 79 of those being called strikes. What’s even scarier is that he only utilized two pitches to get to this point as well, the fastball and the slider. The first-year pitcher only had one small bump on the night for this game. That happened to come in the eighth inning. He allowed a double to Michael Toglia followed by another reach by Elias Diaz on an error. Strider didn’t let it get too far out of hand though by striking out the following two batters. Outside of this minor bump in the road, Strider was lights out the entire night and was the main reason that the Braves came out of this matchup with a win over the Rockies. It’s shocking to see a first-year pitcher step up to the challenge and break franchise records just like this one. Strider also had this to say, “It’s pretty wild. The guys who’ve thrown in this organization, it’s a long, incredible list.” That’s a very factual statement. Maybe if Strider continues to improve, we could see him get listed among the all-time greats in a long list of Atlanta pitchers. Then again, we have quite a long distance left to go before we can reach that point in time. Click here to find more of our content!

Arsenal offers £20m for Douglas Luiz

September 1, 2022 No Comments

Arsenal has offered £20m plus add-ons to Aston Villa to sign Douglas Luiz on transfer deadline day. The Brazilian midfielder has entered the last year of his current deal at the struggling Steven Gerard side and he wants to leave. The Villans have been speaking to his entourage and have proposed a new deal to the former Manchester City man. However, he has now penned a new contract yet and Matchplug understands he is interested in the switch to the Emirates. Arsenal has started this season well after winning five of their five league games to remain the only Premier League club with a 100% record so far. However, they have lost Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny to injury and they know they must replace them to stand a good chance of maintaining their bright start to this season.

Liverpool close to signing Arthur

September 1, 2022 No Comments

Liverpool is close to sealing a deadline day switch for Juventus midfielder, Arthur Melo, after struggling in this transfer window. The Reds had finished their transfer business early and hoped that was enough for them to carry on the season. However, they have been plagued by injury, especially in midfield and they have been struggling at this start of the term. Their manager, Jurgen Klopp, initially insisted they will not sign a new player, however, they have now been forced to make a U-turn and will now sign Arthur. Matchplug understands the midfielder will join them from Juve on a season-long loan deal as he also attempts to revive his career. He has struggled in Italy since he moved to Juve and this move offers him a unique chance to show he can still play football.

How Online Betting Transformed Sports

September 1, 2022 No Comments

How has online betting transformed sports?Sports betting has undergone a great growth in the last few years, and most of this credit shouldgo to its online branch. Matter of fact, this industry has been able to spread its arm so far you’llrarely see a football team that didn’t have a sportsbook logo on their jersey.The sports industry is among the world’s most thrilling industries, and part of its grip is becausepeople have for the longest time enjoyed watching and playing sports. Although it has been animportant part of the world for ages, it managed to recently reach new levels, thanks to onlinebetting.The introduction of online sports betting to the scene is transforming sports and how fans engagewith it. This influence has had both positive and negative effects, which we have sampled in thisarticle. Keep reading to find out the whole thing. The Positives:These are some of the positive ways online betting changed sports:Progressing The Gambling Industry’s GrowthOnline sports betting has become quite popular, and has been on an ascending trend, withanalysts predicting the global sports betting market size to grow up to 10% till 2028, racking in$140 billion worldwide.Part of this growth can be linked to the several US states that legalized sports betting. A researchby the American Gaming Association states that sports betting grew 63% in the US, with morethan 18 million Americans betting on the NFL.In Europe as well, 41% of all the online gambling revenues were from sports betting. Going bythis data, the online sports betting market has huge potential. Its growth has had a positive effecton the gambling industry in terms of generating profits. Convenient BettingOnline betting has provided many ways to bet on sports easily. Bettors can place more than onesports bet in minutes, without them having to visit a local bookmaker. Online betting also saves players the time and money they’ll spend in a bookie’s store. Insteadthey could just take up their phones, tablets, and laptops, and do everything they would havetraveled to do. Timely UpdatesThe widespread nature of online betting thanks to the internet, has made it so that small gamesand tournaments can reach people globally. It has also enabled them to find sports news thatcover every league and tournaments, worldwide.No matter what you wish to know, whether it is a prominent league or a lesser known one, youcan find it on one of the Internet’s numerous news sites. What’s even better is that these siteshave in-built translators that help you read the updates in any language you prefer. Gamification of sportsNasdaq experts reckon that the growth of online sports betting, may be because of thegamification of sports. Gamification transformed the interaction people have with a sports match,by including gaming elements.Live betting is one good example of sports’ gamification, and it has been used by most onlinesportsbooks. Live betting or in-play wagering, changes the experience people get from justwatching a game, to actively participating and connecting better with the event.Gamification can also be noted in online betting communities. Gamblers talk to each other onforums and discuss their predictions trying to find value or gain an edge on bookmakers. Bonuses and PromotionsThe bonuses and promotions you’ll get from online sports betting sites, put to shame the onesyou would get from local sportsbooks which are just a handful of betting specials they offeroccasionally.Betting online offers you the opportunity of making thousands of dollars in bonus cash, all due tothe incredible bonuses and other promotions these online sports betting websites provide. Thisway you bet on sports and still earn a sizable amount in bonuses.The welcome bonus offered by sportsbooks is the most lucrative gift online sportsbooks givetheir punters. Bonuses differ amongst betting websites, with each one trying to outdo the otherby offering higher and better deals than the rest to attract customers. By signing up with an online betting site with good bonus deals and promotions, especially welcome bonus, you coulddo a lot by simply signing up and depositing money.On the other hand, we’ll give you the chance to earn bonus cash through other bonuses andpromotions like reduced juice deals or promotions revolving around you betting on an unpopularsporting tournament. EsportsBetting over the internet didn’t just make the sports industry more accessible, it also led to thedevelopment of a new type of sport, which is eSports. This sport happens solely online, whichmeans the people who compete in it, do so from different parts of the world, uniting virtually fora common goal, to play. Expanding Revenues For LeaguesIn the United States, the spread of betting legalization is set to bring in significant revenues intothe pockets of major sports leagues. Experts say that American sports might earn more than $4billion through advertising, sponsorships, and increased viewership.In English football, betting sponsorships brought in more than $140 million in the past years,with a close second being Spain at $70 million. But, the American society is more accepting ofthe gamification of sports.In England, new figures show that gambling sponsorships will be split in half from 15.3% –8.1%. Some people foretell a collective ban on gambling sponsorships. While these are allspeculations, many clubs with sportsbook companies as their main sponsors, are worried.Market movements showing that online sports betting has come to stay, making it strange thatsports leagues and clubs would be deprived of better sponsorship deals. Variety Of SportsOnline betting offers bettors a more extensive variety of sports they can bet on and types of betsthey can place, than they would get from brick and mortar sportsbooks. This also means thatplayers can place all their bets in one place.Most online sports betting sites provide you a more extensive selection than what you’ll find in aland-based sportsbook. Sportsbooks typically carry bets on sports like soccer and football, online sports betting sites offer you something rare like fantasy sports. Online also accepts bettingaction on esports. Betting advertisingAdvertising impacted the growth of sports betting, and also changed sports. You cannot watch aSunday Match on TV, without seeing multiple ADS from every type of bookie. This also goesfor when you read about your favorite athletes

Manchester United players celebrated that Ronaldo wanted to leave

August 30, 2022 No Comments

Manchester United players were happy when Cristiano Ronaldo asked to leave the club at the start of this summer. The attacker joined the Red Devils at the start of last season from Juventus and the team’s performance dropped. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked by the club and replaced by their interim manager Ralf Rangnick. However, their fortunes did not change. They ended the term outside the Champions League places and Ronaldo does not want to play in the Europa League. He asked United to sell him for the right price and his agent has been offering him around to find a new home for him. Matchplug understands that United players were happy when he asked to leave because he divides the dressing room. The attacker reportedly wants his teammates to be the best and is constantly criticising them for their level of performance. With a few days left before the window closes, it remains unclear if he will leave the club.

Bournemouth sacks Scott Parker

August 30, 2022 No Comments

Bournemouth has sacked Scott Parker after a miserable start to life back in the Premier League. The former midfielder helped them to gain promotion back to the English top flight from the Championship. Their return to the competition has not gone to plan so far, with Liverpool inflicting a 9-0 defeat on them at the weekend. They had previously lost 4-0 to Manchester City and 3-0 to Arsenal in league matches since their return. Considering the calibre of clubs they have faced so far, they shouldn’t have expected much, but the club’s executives believe they could have had a better start. Matchplug understands that they have now relieved Parker of his duty as their manager and a search for a successor begins. The Cherries would face Wolves in their next league game tomorrow at home and their fans would be keen to see how the team responds to Parker’s dismissal.

Diamondbacks Stunned After Stellar Debut From Carroll

August 30, 2022 No Comments

The Arizona Diamondbacks realized that they could potentially have a great one on their hands with Corbin Carroll. Carroll just made his Major League debut on Monday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. He instantly made an impact. Just so you get a feeling for how exciting his debut was for the organization, the entire coaching staff of both the Double-A Amarillo and the Triple-A Reno came to support him. Carroll not only started in right field for them but he also bat eighth in the lineup. The Diamondbacks quickly fell behind early on. Falling down 7-0 early on. Carroll then got a run going as his blazing speed forced an error. This error eventually led onto a six-run inning to bring the score back down to 7-6. Unfortunately, it got recorded as an error and he wasn’t awarded his first hit in the big leagues, though he later got his chance. He smacked away a deep liner into left field to pick up that first run in the very next inning. Not only was that a huge moment, but a handful of runs went the distance off of this hit to give them the 9-7 lead. The former 16th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft was calm, cool and collected the entire time with tons of eyes on him in his debut. It’s not easy to deliver the biggest run in a game for your team. Especially when your group is down 7-0, against a tough pitcher. On top of that, the hit sparks the largest comeback in franchise history. Oh, and that’s not all either. This was the first time all year that an MLB team was able to score six runs in back-to-back innings. Both of which were heavily impacted by Carroll’s hits in them. Carroll Made The Most Out Of Diamondbacks Opportunity It turned out to be quite the decision to call him up to the majors. They didn’t’ even have to call him up either, due to them already have a handful of outfielders that have been doing well this season for Arizona. The organization just felt confidently about his improvement, and it paid off. Plus, they aren’t a team that’s going to be competing for a World Series this year, so it’s good to get some guy’s much needed experience. Their manager said, “We felt strongly that we wanted him to come up and sort of rip this band-aid off this year, for obvious reasons, both this year and going into the next.” Carroll then got surrounded by all of his family and friends when he entered the hallway just outside of the Diamondbacks clubhouse after the game ended and his interviews wrapped up. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is going to be a game that Carroll remembers forever. It could be the first emergence of a future franchise superstar. It will also be a legendary moment in Arizona history as they rallied back from seven runs down by scoring six in back-to-back innings. Arizona fans had a lot to be excited about. Click here to check out more!

MLB Predictions – Dodgers Take On Marlins

August 28, 2022 No Comments

MLB Predictions Los Angeles Dodgers at Miami Marlins Over/Under: 7 Odds: Dodgers –280, Marlins +230 Time: 12:05 PM ET MLB Predictions The Los Angeles Dodgers will be taking on the Miami Marlins this Sunday. The Dodgers are roughly 20 games in front of the second place San Deigo Padres in the National League West division. At some point, you have to imagine that the Dodgers will be resting their starters soon. However, this game isn’t going to be the time that happens. The Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that they are going to talk with each player when it reaches September to see if they can cut back their workloads down the stretch of the season. For this particular game, that won’t be happening. That’s why we will be seeing Julio Urias on the mound here. Urias has compiled a 13-7 overall record with a wonderful 2.36 ERA to go along with it. Urias has done a fantastic time of putting together excellent outings. He’s recorded a quality start in 14 out of his 24 total outings this season with the Dodgers. Although, it’s worth noting that he’s played the Marlins twice this year. He’s 1-1 against them with a horrendous 6.75 ERA. Meanwhile, the Marlins are starting Edward Cabrera. Cabrera has yet to go up against Los Angeles but has been improving as the year progresses. In 2021, he was 0-3 with a 5.81 ERA. Now, he is 4-1 on the year with a stellar 1.41 ERA. Throughout the month of August so far, he’s pitched 22 innings and has yet to allow a single run during that stretch of time. The rising star could be a ridiculously big factor in the outcome of this game as he’s been as impressive as ever. The last few games these two teams have played against each other have been very close. On Friday, the Marlins took the Dodgers into extra innings before losing at the last second. Then, the following day, the Marlins beat them 2-1 in another wildly close contest. There’s no question that we are going to be seeing the best of each of these teams here on Sunday. MLB Picks Today If we are looking at the overall winner to bet on for this game, I have to say that I’m leaning with the Marlins. They are wild underdogs in this matchup due to having significantly less talent on the roster compared to the Dodgers. However, Cabrera hasn’t allowed a single run this month and is 4-1 with one of the best ERAs that the league has seen this year. Urias has been great in his own regard, but the problem lies with his time against Miami in particular. He’s posted a 6.75 ERA in those two games and has only been 1-1. The underdogs have tremendous value in this matchup. When it comes to the over/under of seven, the under is very likely. These squads combined for just three runs in their last game on Saturday. With Cabrera and Urias being two strong pitchers, neither side will have a lot of opportunities to rack up runs. Even with Urias struggling against the Marlins, Cabrera’s dominance could keep it well below seven. If you’re looking for more content, click here!

MLB Predictions – Blue Jays vs. Pirates Game Preview

MLB Predictions – Astros vs. Angels Game Preview

Spencer Strider Makes Braves History On The Mound

Arsenal offers £20m for Douglas Luiz

Liverpool close to signing Arthur

How Online Betting Transformed Sports

Manchester United players celebrated that Ronaldo wanted to leave

Bournemouth sacks Scott Parker

Diamondbacks Stunned After Stellar Debut From Carroll

MLB Predictions – Dodgers Take On Marlins

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