Sean Murphy

My selection is on the 'under' between Minnesota and Kansas City at 7:40 pm et on Wednesday.

While the weather is a concern and there's a chance they don't get this game in, it does set up beautifully for a play on the 'under'. The two teams were idle last night in another interesting early season scheduling quirk. Both teams have been slow out of the gates offensively this season with the Twins ranking 23rd and the Royals 28th in weighted on base average over the last week. Both of tonight's starters should enter confident as they've mastered this particular opponent. Joe Ryan goes for Minnesota and he's held current Royals hitters to just 21-for-110 (.191) with a .582 OPS at the dish over his career. While it's a much smaller sample size, Royals starter Noah Cameron has limited current Twins hitters to six hits in 29 at-bats (.207) with a .475 OPS. Cameron makes his first start of the season after an impressive rookie campaign while the steady Ryan was lights out in his 2026 debut. Following an off day it will be 'all hands on deck' for both bullpens which is what we like to see when backing an 'under'. Take the under (8*).

My selection is on Houston +1.5 runs over Boston at 2:10 pm et on Wednesday.

The 'avoid the sweep' bettors will be out in full force to back the Red Sox on Wednesday as they send their ace Garrett Crochet to the mound against Mike Burrows of the Astros. Interestingly, current Astros hitters have had plenty of success against Crochet, going a combined 20-for-54 (.370) with a healthy .952 OPS. After a slow start to the season, Houston's bats have come alive as they now rank second in baseball in weighted on base average over the last week. The bullpens are a virtual wash based on current form although at least Houston has yet to blow a save (the Red Sox have converted one and blown one). I do think Astros starter Burrows is better than he showed in his debut with his new club against the Angels. Keep in mind, he logged a respectable 4.00 FIP and 1.24 WHIP with the Pirates last season. We'll take a flyer on Houston grabbing an insurance run at a reasonable price here. Take Houston +1.5 runs (8*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Vancouver and Colorado at 8:35 pm et on Wednesday.

The Avalanche are coming off an extremely high-scoring affair on Monday against Calgary as the Flames were in the wrong place at the wrong time with Colorado coming off a disappointing home loss. While the matchup is similar on Wednesday with the lowly Canucks rolling into Denver, I do think Vancouver can at least offer some resistance. The Canucks are 0-2 to start their current four-game road trip with losses in Calgary and Las Vegas. For the Avs this is a bit of a tough spot as they'll undoubtedly have a difficult time avoiding glancing ahead at Saturday's showdown in Dallas. The nine goals they put up on Monday was certainly impressive but Colorado has produced four goals or less in nine of its last 12 contests. This isn't a game where the Avs figure to need to keep their foot on the gas for 60 minutes. Note that Vancouver has averaged just 2.3 goals per game over the last two months. The last time these two teams met they combined to score only four goals. That was back in early December so that matchup has been long forgotten by most bettors. Take the under (8*).

Western Conference Game of the Month. My selection is on St. Louis over Los Angeles at 9:05 pm et on Wednesday.

The Blues opened up this critical western road swing with a 5-4 loss in San Jose on Monday. I'm confident we'll see them bounce back on Wednesday as they make a stop in Los Angeles. The Kings are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race but 'race' is a term I use lightly. Los Angeles has lost five of its last six games and checks in off a 6-2 defeat against the Mammoth here on home ice on Saturday. Note that the Kings are a miserable 10-25-8 on home ice this season, where they've been outscored by 0.7 goals on average. It hasn't really mattered where the Blues have played lately, they've been battling hard to get back into the playoff picture, going 10-4 over their last 14 contests. As healthy as any team in the league right now, St. Louis is well-positioned to keep pushing down the stretch. While the Kings have taken both previous meetings in this series this season, both contests needed at least overtime to decide. Take St. Louis (10*).

My selection is on the 'over' between New York and Memphis at 8:10 pm et on Wednesday.

I think we'll see a 'sling-shot' effect from the Knicks offense as they finally get to take a step down in class after a tough stretch on Wednesday. New York has been held down offensively in three straight losses against the Hornets, Thunder and Rockets - all on the road. While I don't trust the Knicks to cover these big pointspreads away from home, I do think they'll go off offensively against a matador-like Grizzlies defense on Wednesday. Memphis is just two days removed from allowing a lukewarm Suns offense to connect on 55-of-109 field goal attempts in a 131-105 loss. There is reason to be confident in Memphis offensively as it comes off an off day yesterday and doesn't figure to have the major personnel issues that plague it in back-to-back spots. Keep in mind, the Grizzlies did put up 125 points two games back and scored 120 points in a 13-point loss in New York earlier in the season. That game took place way back in November and has been long forgotten by most bettors. While Memphis was certainly healthier then, it's not as if it was that much more efficient offensively. Take the over (8*).