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We’ve gone cold.
I turned to Major League Baseball in an attempt to find some winners after a disastrous showing on the race track, and I instead went 0-3 in last week’s picks.
The Diamondbacks came up a run short of a major comeback against the Mets. The Royals gave up nine runs in the eighth inning to lose. Dakota Hudson pitched a gem and the Rockies-Dodgers game landed well short of the over.
Those are the breaks, I suppose, but the breaks stink.
We’re back in the lab this week. I’m going to get back into some baseball for sure, but I want to start with a pick I really like from the upcoming French Open women’s final.
Swiatek to win AND
Under 17.5 Games +100
French Open Women’s Final
Saturday, 9:10 a.m.
If you know tennis, than surely you know just how unbelievable Iga Swiatek has been over the last couple years, and especially at Roland Garros.
The number one player in the world, Swiatek has played five French Opens and won three of them: 2020, 2022 and 2023. She’s going for her third in a row, and so far she’s only dropped one set, steamrolling her way to the finals.
Her opponent on Saturday morning, Jasmime Paolini, is playing in her first major final of any kind. Before this year, Paolini had never even reached a major quarterfinal.
Nothing against Paolini, but I think she caught a break avoiding Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, instead beating unseeded Maria Andreeva after Andreeva knocked off Sabalenka.
Swiatek beat major champion Coco Gauff in her semifinal match, needing 18 games to win 6-4, 6-2. In the two rounds prior, Swiatek needed just 14 games to win in the quarters and 12 in the Round of 16.
In two prior matches between Swiatek and Paolini, this bet would have cashed both times. They’ve never played on clay, where Swiatek’s dominance seems to kick up a notch.
Rangers ML +105 vs. Giants
Friday, 8:05 p.m.
Alright, we’ve got to get back on track when it comes to baseball, so I’m taking the defending World Series champs as home underdogs on Friday night.
The home dog isn’t quite a loud pick in baseball as it might be in college football or basketball, but the Giants are 13-19 away from San Francisco, and I don’t think they’re on the same level as the Rangers.
The projected pitching matchup has Logan Webb getting the ball for the Giants, while Michael Lorenzen draws the start for Texas. This is likely the reason for the line tilting in favor of San Fran, as Webb has been one of the best pitchers in the game over the last two seasons.
So why fade him? He’s been a bit inconsistent this year, but I look at this more as a chance to back Lorenzen, who’s been pretty darn sharp in recent outings.
Lorenzen, who you may remember as the guy who threw a no-hitter for the Phillies last season, fell off a bit after that game and signed a one-year deal with Texas.
He was late getting on the field due to an injury this year, but with nine starts under his belt, he’s had six quality starts — including his last four starts.
The Giants are 3-7 over their last 10 games, and they’re hitting the second leg of a road trip that’s already taken them down to Phoenix for three games.
I’ll take the Rangers at plus money.