Larry Ness

My 10* Ultimate Underdog of the Month is on the Den Nuggets at 10:10 ET.

When the Brooklyn Nets acquired James Harden from Houston in mid-January, the NBA's latest "Super team" team featured Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden. However, while KD is averaging 28.0-6.9-5.1, he has missed 37 games. Kyrie checks in averaging 27.4-4.9-6.3 but has missed 17 games. As for Harden, he has contributed 25.4-8.7-11.0 in his 34 games with the Nets but he last played April 5. Injuries to these three All Stars have contributed to the uneven play of Brooklyn and the Nets head to Denver for a game with the Nuggets Saturday night on a FIVE-game losing streak. The slide has seen the Nets slip to 43-24 and into a tie with the Bucks. BOTH teams are three games back of the 76ers, who own the East's top record at 46-21. All teams have just FIVE games remaining, so the Nets and Bucks will battle for the No. 2 seed.

The Nuggets are coming off a 127-120 loss at Utah on Friday night and won't be fully healthy for the rest of the year. That said, Denver continues to play through those injuries. The Nuggets are 10-3 since losing PG Jamal Murray (21.2-4.0-4.8) to a torn ACL back on April 12. Denver is also missing Monte Morris (hamstring), Will Barton (hamstring) and P.J. Dozier (adductor strain). Morris (10.3 & 3.2 APG) is closest to returning, followed by Barton (12.7-4.0-3.2), but Dozier (7.7) could miss the rest of the season. Denver is led by MVP candidate Nikola Jokic (26.4-10.9-8.5) plus SF Porter (19.1 & 7.5) is having a career season and the acquisition of Aaron Gordon (10.0 & 4.9) from Orlando has worked great. He's not scoring as much as he did with the Magic but he's been a "great fit," with Denver going 17-5 in his 22 games. 30-year-old rookie PG Facundo Campazzo has averaged 9.2 & 6.0 APG in the 13 games without Murray.

Tough spot for Denver coming from Salt Lake City with no rest but the Nuggets will be playing their FINAL home game of the regular season, as they'll play their final four games on the road. Denver is just ONE game behind the Clippers for the West's No. 3 seed and should bring their "A-game" here vs a slumping Brooklyn team that beat them 122-116 back on Jan 12. Why is Denver an underdog?

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Division Game of the Month (AL Central) is on the Chi White Sox at 7:10 ET.

The Chicago White Sox made the playoffs for the first time since 2008 in 2020, ending a run of SEVEN consecutive losing seasons by going 35-25. The 2021 version is improved from last season and expectations entering the current season were high. The KC Royals made back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014 (lost Game 7 to the Giants) and in 2015 (beat the Mets 4-1) but entered 2021 off five straight non-winning seasons. KC lost 194 games in 2018, 103 games in 2019 and then went 26-34 in 2020 (on pace of 93 losses in a 162-game schedule).KC lost 104 games in 2018, 103 games in 2019 and then went 26-34 in 2020 (on pace of 93 losses in a 162-game schedule).Not much was expected of the Royals in 2020.

The White Sox and Royals are playing a three-game series this weekend in Kansas City and Chicago won Friday's game 3-0. Combined with the Cleveland Indians' loss to the Cincinnati Reds, the White Sox moved into first place in the American League Central at 17-13. As for the Royals, after an 11-3 win on May 1, they were 16-9 and sat atop the AL Central. However, the Royals take the field Saturday having lost SIX in a row. The White Sox will send veteran Lance Lynn (2-1, 1.82 ERA) to the mound on Saturday, after spending 15 days on the IL. KC counters with left-hander Daniel Lynch (0-0, 5.79 ERA). 

Lynch is making just his second career. He took the mound this past Monday and lasted 4.1 innings in an 8-6 loss to Cleveland. He did not get a decision, allowing four hits, four walks and three ERs. The 33-year-old Lynn was a workhorse last season for Texas, leading the majors in starts (13) and innings pitched (84). Many will remember him as an integral part of a St Louis rotation when he won 71 games over a five-year stretch from 2012-17 (he missed all of 2016 with an injury). Lynn may be just 2-2 in his four starts this season for Chicago but he owns a 1.82 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and opponents have batted just .215 against him. In 10 career starts against KC, he's 5-2 with a 3.73 ERA (his teams are 8-2).

Lynn vs Lynch is a mismatch plus the fact that Lynch is a lefty clinches the paly. Chicago was 14-0 against left-handed starters in 2020 (averaging 7.1 RPG) and has continued that success in 2021, going 5-1 while averaging 7.8 RPG. That's 19-1 or a 95% winning rate.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* IL Game of the Year is on the Cle Indians at 6:10 ET.

The Cleveland Indians won the AL Central title from 2016-18 but missed the playoffs in 2019, despite 93 wins. Cleveland was back in the postseason last year (35-25) but was eliminated by the Yankees in the wild card round, Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds ended a six-year postseason drought last season by going 31-29 to earn a wild card spot in the expanded playoffs but were also eliminated right away by Atlanta when the Reds were held scoreless over two games (22 innings). These two Ohio rivals met back in Cincinnati (Apr 16-18) for a three-game series with the Reds taking two of the three. That came as somewhat of a surprise, as the Reds had totaled just 27 runs, hit .196 as a team and struck out 121 times while losing 10 of their last 12 games with the Indians (since July 2018). The teams opened a three-game series in Cleveland last night and Wade Miley pitched the 17th no-hitter in Cincinnati Reds' history, as Cincy's 3-0 win got them to .500 on the season (15-15), while the Indians fell to 17-14.

Luis Castillo (1-3, 6.07 ERA) will take the mound in Game 2 of the series and the team's Opening Day starter has quite an act to follow. The Reds' pitching staff has thrown back-to-back shutouts, having won 1-0 in 10 innings on Thursday at home over the White Sox. The Cleveland Indians will counter with Aaron Civale (4-0, 3.20 ERA). Castillo was BRUTAL in the team's Opening Day loss, lasting just 3.1 innings while allowing 10 runs (eight earned). He rebounded in his next start (seven scoreless innings in an 11-4 home win over Pittsburgh) but in four starts since, he's 0-2 (team is 0-4) with a 5.59 ERA. As for Civale, he's 4-0 in six starts (Cleveland is 5-1) and in just this third season, is looking for a career-high FIFTH win. Civale totaled just SEVEN wins over 22 career starts spanning the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

This sets up as a "great spot" for the Indians. Cleveland had won FIVE in a row and nine of 11 before getting no-hit by Miley. Cleveland had totaled 29 runs during its five-game winning streak (5.8 RPG) and the Cleveland bats have given Civale a run-support average of SEVEN in his first six starts.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Weekend Wipeout is on the NY Yankees at 1:05 ET.

The Washington Nationals followed the franchise's first-ever World Series win in 2019 with a 26-34 record in 2020, finishing in last-place in the NL East. The Nats are again in last-place in the NL East at 13-15 but the good news is the division is MLB's weakest. No team had a winning record to open the current week and the Nats are just 2 1/2-games out of first place. The Phillies have won FIVE in a row to take over the top spot at 18-15. The NY Yankees made the postseason for the fourth straight time in 2020 but ONLY because of the expanded playoff field. They swept the Indians in the wild card round (2-0) but lost to the Rays in a deciding Game 5 in the ALDS. The Yankees are currently 16-16, fourth of five AL East teams.

Washington won the opener of this three-game series 11-4 on Friday, sparked by six-run eighth inning (included three errors by New York and a three-run HR by the Nats' Josh Harrison. Saturday's pitching matchup will feature three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer (2-2, 2.54 ERA) up against two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber (2-2, 3.03 ERA), Scherzer won Cy Young's 2013, 2016 and 2017 but didn't get his first win of 2021 until his fourth start, He beat the Cards 1-0 on April 21 (6 IP / 9-1 KW ratio) but then gave up seven runs (five earned) in a 9-5 loss at Toronto. However, this past Sunday, he threw his 12th career complete game, allowing a run on five hits in a 3-1 home win over the Miami Marlins (9-0 KW ratio).

Kluber won 18 games three times and 20 games once, in a five-year stretch between 2014-18 for Cleveland. He won two Cy Young awards in that span, in 2014 and 2018 (20-7). However, he fractured his right arm after being hit by a line drive during a game against the Miami Marlins on May 1, 2019 and his season ended after just seven starts. Cleveland traded Kluber to the Texas Rangers on July 26, 2020, Kluber made his Rangers debut but lasted just 1 inning after experiencing shoulder tightness. New York signed Kluber to a one-year $11 million contract on January 27, 2021. Kluber got off to a slow start to 2021 (6.10 ERA in his first three starts), but he has improved upon his previous performances in each of his last three outings, lowering his ERA more than three runs in the process. He's thrown 19.1 innings in his last three outings, allowing just three ERs (1.40 ERA). He's earned wins in his last two starts, including allowing two hits over eight scoreless innings to help the Yankees to a 2-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers this past Sunday.

The Yankees conclude a nine-game homestand this weekend and after opening with FIVE straight wins, have lost their last two. The team's bullpen and defense fell apart Friday but  with "no rest for the weary" (early start on Saturday), I'll back them here against the Nats. Washington is coming off an 11-run outburst but still ranks just 27th in scoring (3.71 RPG).

Good luck...Larry