Matt Fargo

This is a play on the CHICAGO WHITE SOX for our A.L. Central Game of the Month. Chicago is back to .500 on the season following a 2-1 loss to Kansas City on Tuesday and the White Sox remain in second place in the American League Central, two and a half games behind the Twins. The offense has struggled as they are ranked No. 26 in runs scored and No. 21 in batting average and it has been the pitching that has kept things close enough to keep them around in a lot of their games. They are a game over .500 on the road where the pitching has been even better. Vincent Velazquez put together four solid outings in a five-game stretch but got hammered in his last start where he allowed seven runs in five innings but that was against the Yankees. The White Sox are 7-1 in their last eight road games against right-handed starters. Kansas City has been up and down this season as the Royals are 8-17 over their last 25 games. They are in fourth place in the American League Central, seven games out of first place, and have struggled on both sides. Kansas city is ranked No. 23 or worse in all three major stat categories on offense and defense and while the offense is in a tough spot, the pitching is worse off. Carlos Hernandez has a 9.91 ERA and 2.03 WHIP in six starts with the Royals going 1-5 including four straight losses. On the other side, Kansas city is hitting a mere .218 against right-handed starters at home. The Royals are 7-19 in their last 26 games as an underdog. Here, we play against teams with a starting pitcher who lasts less than five innings per start and allowed six or more runs in his last two outings. This situation is 29-9 (76.3 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (959) Chicago White Sox

This is a play on the BOSTON CELTICS for our NBA Thursday Enforcer. Boston lost Game One as it got off to a great start but the Celtics wore down in the second half as they were outscored 39-14 in the third quarter. They were already in a tough spot coming off a physical series against Milwaukee while playing with just one day of rest and they had to shift on the fly with Marcus Smart and Al Horford declared as out early Tuesday afternoon. Both are questionable with Smart the most likely to play and he will be a big presence to shore up the defense that allowed 49 percent shooting. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 53 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 steals in the loss and they will again step up in Game Two. Boston is 15-4 ATS in its last 19 games off a road loss by 10 points or more. Miami came into the series as a +150 underdog to make it to the NBA Finals and with the Game One win, the Heat are now -130 for the series at Draft Kings Sportsbook which is no surprise at this point. Jimmy Butler was outstanding in Game One with 41 points, including going 17-18 from the free throw line, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks in one of the best all-around efforts for a Heat player in the postseason in recent years. Miami is now 36-12 at home and one of those losses came against Boston in the lone regular season meeting played in Florida. The Heat are 7-0 at home in the postseason, winning by an average of 14.7 ppg, and that is putting the public behind Miami again here but Boston is in much better position than in Game One. Boston is now 20-5-1 ATS on the road against winning teams and is 16-8-2 ATS on the season as an underdog. 10* (543) Boston Celtics

This is a play on the FLORIDA PANTHERS for our NHL Thursday Breakaway. Game One played out as expected with the postseason experience of Tampa Bay being the difference as it fell behind 1-0 before scoring four unanswered goals in the Game One upset. The Lightning have won three of five road playoff games pushing their record to 27-17-1-1 on the road and will rely on its potent offense that averaged 3.5 gpg on away ice during the regular season which was fourth most in the league and it faces a defense that has been inconsistent that allowed 3.0 gpg on the season. This is not really a letdown spot but Tampa Bay knows it has grabbed home ice which puts the higher motivation on the other side. Tampa Bay is 10-15 against the money line in road games against teams averaging five or more assists per game this season. This number is approaching the one that we saw in the series opener so we are catching some early value with Florida. The Panthers have already been in this position as they lost Game One against Washington at home only to bounce back in Game Two with a convincing 5-1 victory. Florida is now 36-9-0-0 at home and it will have to do a better job on special teams after going 0-3 on the power play while allowing three goals in six chances on the penalty kill and that clearly was the difference. The Panthers have averaged 4.53 gpg at home and while the defense is under pressure, the offense is not far behind. Florida 26-3 in its last 29 games against the money line after allowing three goals or more in three straight games. Here, we play on favorites against the money line in the second half of the season with a winning percentage between .600 and .700 revenging a loss where they scored one or less goals. This situation is 86-29 (74.8 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (34) Florida Panthers