Sports Handicapper Sean Murphy's Picks & Predictions

My selection is on the 'under' between Chicago and New York at 7:05 pm et on Tuesday.

I can certainly understand the reasons behind this total bumping up since opening. The upstart White Sox have been seeing the ball well, ranking top-eight in the majors in xwOBA over the last week. They do run into a tough customer on the mound on Tuesday, however, in Gerrit Cole. It's not as if Chicago has torn the cover off the ball against right-handed pitching this season, ranking 12th in baseball in wOBA. And behind Cole is a New York bullpen that has logged a 3.20 ERA and 1.22 WHIP at home this season and figures to have all hands on deck following an off day on Monday. Davis Martin owns ugly career numbers against current Yankees hitters. While I do expect New York to find some success at the plate in this contest, it is worth noting that it ranks 21st in the majors in xwOBA over the last week. Simply put, I believe this total will prove too high. Take the under (8*).

American League Game of the Week. My selection is on New York over Chicago at 7:05 pm et on Tuesday.

The Yankees got rolling again over the weekend in Toronto and I don't think a day off on Monday will serve to derail them at all as they prepare to open a series against the upstart White Sox on Tuesday. The presence of emerging ace Davis Martin on the hill for Chicago allows us to back New York at a solid price here. Martin is off to a terrific start this season with a 2.39 FIP and 1.10 WHIP through 13 starts, recording an incredible nine victories along the way. With that being said, he's been far better at home than on the road. In a visitor's role, Martin has logged a 3.59 ERA and 1.22 WHIP to go along with a 3.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Those numbers aren't bad by any means but compare them to his home numbers - a 1.01 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with a 5.7 K:BB ratio. Current Yankees hitters haven't seen a lot of Martin but what they have seen, they've liked, going a collective 12-for-32 (.375) with a 1.131 OPS. Of those 12 hits, six have gone for extra bases including a pair of home runs. Gerrit Cole will counter for the Yankees. After breezing through his first two starts since 2024, he suffered some regression in his last two outings. Of course, those came against the same opponent in the Guardians as they got two looks at him in a week. I do expect Cole to bounce back here. The bullpen matchup favors the Yankees as their relievers have logged a 1.93 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over the last week and a 3.20 ERA and 1.22 WHIP at home this season. The White Sox 'pen hasn't travelled particularly well, posting a 5.35 ERA and 1.50 WHIP on the road. Take New York (10*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Toronto and Indiana at 7 pm et on Tuesday.

Toronto enters this game riding a three-game 'over' streak, matching its longest of the season. Meanwhile, Indiana checks in off an 'under' result in Saturday's win over Connecticut. Of note, the Fever have produced two previous 'under' streaks already this season. The Tempo certainly won't be happy with their performance on Sunday as they allowed a season-high 82 field goal attempts against Atlanta. I'm confident we'll see them make a concerted effort to slow the pace in this one as they can ill afford to play matador-like defense against a sharp-shooting team like Indiana. The Fever rely on making the most of their scoring opportunities rather than volume-shooting. They've hoisted up 66 or fewer field goal attempts in six of their last nine games. I simply feel this total will prove too high in what will be the first ever meeting between these two teams. Take the under (8*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Algeria and Argentina at 9 pm et on Tuesday.

Argentina breezed through its friendly matches leading up to this tournament, scoring a whopping 12 goals in wins over Mauritania, Zambia, Honduras and Iceland. It will obviously be facing a tougher opponent here as Algeria brings excellent form as well having gone undefeated across its last four matches. Neither team has conceded a goal in its last three contests - in fact, you would have to go back five matches to find the last time Algeria allowed a goal. Algeria doesn't boast much of an offensive threat up front but is solid on the back line and will undoubtedly be selling out to defend and keep this game scoreless as long as possible. The knee-jerk reaction from most casual bettors will be to back the 'over' in any match involving this ultra-talented Argentinian side but we'll go the other way and back the 'under' on Tuesday. Take the under (8*).

My selection is on Senegal +1.5 goals over France at 3 pm et on Tuesday.

You would have to go back 12 matches - all the way to November - to find the last time Senegal lost a match by more than a single goal (I'm not counting an 'awarded' 3-0 victory by Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations after the result was overturned). That defeat back in November came by a 2-0 score against Brazil. Here, I look for the Senegalese to give France all it can handle in the two teams' World Cup opener. Of note, France has conceded at least a goal in five consecutive matches. While the French have a tendency to get off on their front foot, scoring first in five of their last six contests, they also yield plenty of scoring opportunities to the opposition. I don't expect this punchy Senegal squad to ever be completely out of this match. Take Senegal +1.5 goals (8*).

My selection is on Toronto plus the points over Indiana at 7 pm et on Tuesday.

I don't think there's a lot separating these two teams, at least not as much as the line indicates. Toronto does check in off a blowout loss at home against Atlanta on Sunday. That marked its second straight defeat but it has yet to lose three games in a row at any point this season. The Fever are feeling pretty good about themselves off three straight victories, matching a season-high. They did deliver the cash in a double-digit win over the lowly Sun last time out but have only strung together consecutive ATS victories once previously this season. Both teams can consistently fill it up offensively but both also have their deficiencies on defense. I think this sets up as a down-to-the-wire type of affair so we'll grab all the points we can get with the underdog Tempo. Take Toronto (8*).