Thursday, March 11, 2023 Since the odds feed is down, here's my official play between the San Diego Padres @ the Minnesota Twins afternoon tilt. Enter in San Diego RHP Yu Darvish. Darvish has looked solid over the last 3 posting a 2-0 record along with a 2.95 ERA. Yu's also excellent in day games sporting a 2.66 ERA thus far. He'll be taking on a Twinkies' team hitting RHP'ing @ a very low .222. batting average. I like Darvish's chances facing Buxton-Kepler-Correa to begin. Let's go to Target Field in Minnesota to play the MINNESOTA TWINS-NO SCORE 1ST INNING for 9 Stars as my Up & Coming Thursday Afternoon Delight! (WIN) Tuesday, May 09, 2023 Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels (MLB) - 9:38 PM EDT Premium Pick Pick: Money Line: -133 Los Angeles Angels Rating: 9* Mike's Tuesday Firestarter (WIN) Sure, we're going against the World Champs! But they're not playing like it thus far @ 17-18 heading in. Mauricio Dubon led off yesterday (hitting .286), Alex Bregman was 2nd (having a lackluster close to Mendoza-like start @ .205 & Yordan Alvarez hit 3rd holding a .283 BA. Without 2B Jose Altuve (on the IL for at least another week as he's still coming off surgery to his fractured right thumb & a rusty DH Michael Brantley (coming off right shoulder labrum repair) who will be inserted tonight for the 1st time. It looks like they'll be facing an Angels' squad going in the opposite direction as they've won 6 of 8 & are coming off a 6-4 win in the series opener versus the Stros' last night. On the flip side, Houston has dropped 3 straight, 5 of their past 6 & 7 of their last 10. Now let's throw into the mix Los Angeles' multidimensional stalwart Shohei Ohtani. Shohei is 4-0 with a 2.54 ERA overall & has look solid @ night turning in a 2-0 mark with a superb 1.44 ERA. He's looking to amend him getting touched for 5 his last home start versus Oakland. His last start saw Ohtani match a career-high 13 strikeouts @ St. Louis on Wednesday. He faces an Astros lineup hitting a collective .232 versus RHP'ing this season. His last 4 outing combined versus Houston saw Ohtani yield just 3 ER's in 19 innings pitched. We're jetting to the west coast to play the HOUSTON ASTROS-NO SCORE 1ST INNING @ the Sombrero as my 9 Star Tuesday Firestarter! Monday, May 08, 2023 Tampa Bay Rays vs. Baltimore Orioles (MLB) - 6:35 PM EDT Premium Pick Pick: Money Line: -167 Tampa Bay Rays Rating: 10* Mike's Monday Ridin' On Fumes Play of the Night (WIN) This one is just a bad spot for Baltimore. They're coming off a grueling 3-game series (lost the last 2) in Atlanta of which they lost a long 12-inning affair 3-2 yesterday. Crunching the numbers show the Rays are a dominating 22-6 RHP'ing & a perfect 5-0 in Game 1's of a series. Over the longer haul, they put up 39-16 numbers when coming off a win as well as having mastered the O's going 36-15 their last 51 meetings. On the flip side, the Birds sit a dismal 8-21 @ home when coming off a road trip of 7 or more days. The Black & Orange are also a no-show 1-12 when the total is set @ 6 1/2 or lower. In comparison, Tampa Bay's #2 offense is hitting a hefty .293 on the road & face an Orioles' squad hitting .253 @ home. My bottom line says we have to take into account the O's are ALSO facing the Rays' #1 man in the rotation in Lefty Shane McClanahan. See earlier articles/wins atop the VegasTopDogs website for my take on him as he's now accumulated @ 6-0 overall record plus a 3-0 record & a 2.25 ERA @ night. He's had the upper hand in this intra-divisional rivalry as in his last 5 starts collectively, he's yielded just 7 ER's versus Baltimore. With the Orioles' #1 starter still on the mend (John Means due back in July coming off Tommy John surgery on right elbow), I feel Kyle Gibson will have a stiff challenge tonight. We're going to a very familiar (to me) Oriole Park @ Camden Yards (but still miss Memorial Stadium though) to strategically play a BIG 10 Stars on the TAMPA BAY RAYS-5 INNINGS on the ML as my Monday Ridin' On Fumes Play of the Night! Saturday, May 06, 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres (MLB) - 8:40 PM EDT Premium Pick Pick: Money Line: -115 San Diego Padres Rating: 9* Mike's Kentucky Derby Exotics With Sat. Night MLB (LOSS) Saturday, March 6, 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres (MLB) 8:40 PM EDT In Dustin May's last 3 starts, San Diego (full game) has put up 20 runs versus LAD with a 3-0 record. May has been torched for 9 ER's in 10 innings pitched versus San Diego in his 2 September starts last season. May now faces a KILLER lineup with a top 5 (in order) of Fernando Tatis, Jr. (homered twice yesterday), Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts & Nelson Cruz. They've already combined to hit 22 HR's for this young season. On the flip side, the Dodgers will face lefty Blake Snell who won a 2-1 NL Playoff decision over last mid-October. Dodger Blue has been anemic versus southpaws on the road this season posting an absurd .125 batting average. With the Padres 6-1 their last 7 @ home, 4-0 last 4 versus LA & playing a Dem' Bums team that sits with a no-show 0-5 record travelling when facing LHP'ing. Let's flash across to Petco Park in San Diego to strategically play the SAN DIEGO PADRES for the first 5 innings for 9 Stars! 149th Kentucky Derby Analysis & Picks This year has a wide-open field with 4 late scratches (Practical Move, Skinner, Lord Miles & Continuar) & 3 late entries (Cyclone Mischief, Mandarin Hero & King Russell) rounding out a field of 19. #15 Forte has been the Kentucky Derby favorite since winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) in the fall of 22'. He's won 6 of his 7 races (his only blemish was a 4th place finish in the G3 Sanford Stakes @ Saratoga last July) & is on a 5-game winning streak entering in here. While some handicappers having brows raised after a close win in the Florida Derby, I feel from his 15th post position & with #21 Cyclone Mischief a late entry, that should accentuate his strengths. With Trainer Todd Pletcher & the talented but hungry jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., he's more than worthy of being on all the exotic pick (top 4 places) cards. If #14 Angel of Empire (Pennsylvania horse who won the G1 Arkansas Derby--won 4 races, placed once in 6 starts) can get off at a good pace & then navigate through traffic later, he can challenge to win it down the stretch. I further think Japanese colt #17 Derma Sotogake (won the UAE Derby @ Mayden by 5 lengths---he's very experienced with 4 wins & 2 shows in 8 starts) with Christophe Lemaire aboard is a very intriguing sleeper to overcome the Dubai jinx & be there in the end. Let's move to the picks where last season saw the $2 Super High 5 pay $1,482,037.80--$2 Superfecta paid $643,000.20--$2 Trifecta paid 29,741.40 & $5 Exacta paid &10,253.00. Here's my Kentucky Derby plays in take-it-to-the-window fashion. $5 Exacta --- #15 with #'s 2,3,5, 6,8,14,17 & 22. $1 Trifecta --- 2,5,14,15,22 with 2,3,5,6,14,15,17 & 22 with 2,3,5,6,14,15,17,22. $1 Straight Superfectas: 15-2-14-17---15-2-14-22---15-14-2-17---15-14-2-22---15-22-14-2---15-5-14-2---15-5-17-2---15-2-5-22---14-15-2-22---14-15-5-2---14-15-5-22---14-15-17-2---14-5-15-22---14-5-15-2---14-5-17-22---22-15-14-2---22-15-5-14---22-15-14-17---22-14-15-2---2-15-14-22---2-15-17-14---2-15-17-22---5-15-14-22---5-15-2-14---5-15-17-2. $1 Straight Super High 5: 15-2-22-14-17---15-22-5-14-17---15-5-14-17-22---15-14-2-17-22---15-14-5-17-2---15-2-5-17-22---15-2-22-5-17---15-5-14-2-17---15-2-14-22-17---15-14-5-2-22. The following are take 1 or take all Insurance Plays: $20 #6 to win---$20 #17 to win---$10 #2 to win---$10 #3 to win---$10 #1 to show. Of all the triple crown races, this is the one where I'm due. I hit the Trifecta & Superfecta in last year's Preakness & then hit the Belmont Stakes. I'm looking to make it 3 in a row here. Let's get it! Mike Handzelek's 2023 MLB Overall Record: 12-3 for a sizzlin' 80% 2-Year MLB Record: 62-20 for 76%