Scott Rickenbach

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach MLB Game #965 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals @ 6:35 ET - It is true that Homer Bailey is off arguably his best start since the 2017 season. However, the Royals right-hander faced an Indians lineup that continues to function as one of the worst hitting teams in the majors. Likewise, Yankees right-hander Domingo German has great numbers in his first two starts but he faced the two teams projected to be the two worst teams in the AL this season as he squared off with Baltimore and Detroit. Of course Kansas City is also projected to have a rough season too but don't be surprised when they enjoy success against German in the Bronx. The Royals got a big 4-3 win in 10 innings yesterday and confidence is a little higher than usual as KC has won 4 of its last 6 games and also averaged scoring 5 runs per game in its last 8 games. The Yankees also come into this game with a boost of momentum after a 2-game sweep of the rival Red Sox that saw the Bronx Bombers score 13 runs in the two games. The Yankees lineup has produced an average of 6 runs per game their last 11 games. Just on sheer averages alone you can see why it wouldn't surprise me to see a 6-5 type game here and, keep in mind, with the total at just a 9 we only need to get each team to get to 4 runs to guarantee we won't lose the play as it would have to end at least 5-4. I am actually expecting each team to get to 5 in this one on a rather pleasant evening weather-wise in the Bronx tonight. 10* OVER the total in the New York Yankees game

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #52 Thursday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - It is so hard to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. Now of course I know Washington is a long way off from that as this is only the first round of this post-season but that is noteworthy for a couple reasons. The strong hunger that you saw from Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals last spring is simply not there this spring. After finally reaching the ultimate prize you certainly want to do it again but it is just the same. This is especially true when you lost your head coach to a division rival. The Islanders now have coach Barry Trotz and he just led them to a sweep of the Penguins and the Isles, of course, are loaded with players very hungry to taste post-season success. So the key point being, the Capitals are not the same team they once were and the Hurricanes are ready to even this series up. Keep in mind the only game Washington outshot the Canes was Game 2 but that was by a very slim margin and the Capitals managed to get an OT win. In the other two games the Caps have been outshot 74 to 36. You read that right, the Hurricanes had more than DOUBLE the amount of shots that Washington had in those 2 games. The point is that the Capitals are fortunate to even be up in this series. After Thursday's game, they won't! Look for the home team to improve to 6-1 in the last 7 meetings between these teams. 10* CAROLINA

PA Insider - Rickenbach NBA Game #543 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) @ Brooklyn Nets @ 8:05 ET - The 76ers destroyed the Nets in the second half of Game 2. That has set the tone for the rest of this series. Brooklyn embarrassed Philly on their home court in Game 1. Now the Sixers will be looking to return the favor as the series shifts north. The extra rest helps Philadelphia as Joel Embiid continues to battle with knee issues. Considering he only logged 21 minutes in Game 2 and that game took place on Monday, he is likely to be very strong for Game 3 on Thursday. Also, his back-up Boban Marjanovic had a very solid Game 2 and that is a good sign for the 76ers. Note that Philadelphia is 5-2 SU in first round playoff games and this line is only a 2.5 so any SU win likely to lead to a point spread cover as well. Brooklyn, of course, would love to bounce back here but the Nets are 2-6 SU and ATS this season when off a game in which they allowed 130 points or more. 22 of the Nets last 23 losses have come by 3 or more points. 10* PHILADELPHIA