<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/image_2021-04-22_202747.png"></figure><h1>MLB odds: Padres vs. Dodgers prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-22T05:34:49-07:00">April 22nd, 5:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-22T05:34:49-07:00">April 22nd, 5:34am</time><address><a>Josh Fisher</a>Bringing you daily picks with detailed analysis and the latest news.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the San Diego Padres on Thursday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Padres-Dodgers prediction and pick.</p><p>The Dodgers took two out of the three games against the Padres in their previous series last weekend. Los Angeles has had an incredible start to this season while San Diego has been underwhelming to say the least. Will the Padres be able to gain ground in the NL West or will Los Angeles continue to dominate the division and the rest of the league?</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/baseball/mlb" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Padres-Dodgers odds.</p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Padres-Dodgers Odds</b></h2><p>San Diego Padres +1.5 (-133)</p><p>Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+113)</p><p>Over 7.5 Runs (-110)</p><p>Under 7.5 Runs (-110)</p><p> </p><h2><b>Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The San Diego Padres had a phenomenal season in 2020, which seemed to be a breakout campaign for this loaded club. After receiving their first playoff birth since 2006, San Diego has begun the 2021 season on a rather sluggish note. The offense has performed well below par over the first 19 games of the season. Padres pitchers have kept this team afloat as they enter this series with a 10-9 record. To their credit, they have been much better on the road going 5-2 away from San Diego. The Padres lineup will need to get it going in this series as they’re currently 24th in runs per game and 25th in home runs per game in the league.</p><p>San Diego’s pitching staff has been incredible, allowing 3.4 runs per game in 2021. This is good for fifth-best in Major League Baseball. The Padres will send out rookie left-hander Ryan Weathers for his second start of the season on Thursday night. Weathers is 1-0 on the year with a 0.93 ERA in four appearances and one start. Weathers last start came against the Dodgers on Friday. He allowed one hit and no runs in 3 2/3 innings of work.</p><p> </p><h2><b>Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the best team in baseball, which isn’t surprising for a team that won the World Series in 2020. They are 14-4 on the season and have been elite in every aspect of the game. Los Angeles is fourth in runs per game, fifth in team batting average, and ninth in home runs per game in the league. This is incredible for a team that has been without its top slugger in Cody Bellinger for all but four games this season. MVP candidate Justin Turner has led this Dodger offense, batting .381 with five home runs and 16 RBI.</p><p>Lethal right-hander Walker Buehler will get the ball for Los Angeles in the series opener. Buehler is currently 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts in 2021. Walker’s last start came against this same Padre team last Friday night. The Dodger right-hander gave up two earned runs and seven hits in six innings. Buehler has had a ton of success against San Diego over his career, going 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA against the division rival.</p><p> </p><h2><b>Final Padres-Dodgers Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>Here we go again. Like we’ve said time and time again, any game that features the Los Angeles Dodgers right now makes for an easy pick. They have clear advantages across the board and will be sending out one of the most electrifying arms in the league in this game. Los Angeles is 6-0 at home this season and is currently riding a 14-game home winning streak dating back to last season. Take the Dodgers to win the opener in Los Angeles with confidence.</p><p>FINAL PICK: Los Angeles Dodgers ML (-170)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB odds: Padres vs. Dodgers prediction, odds, pick, and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/angels-news-shohei-otani-hits-moonshot-after-pitching-the-night-before.jpeg"></figure><h1>Angels phenom Shohei Otani hits moonshot after pitching the night before</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T15:11:12-07:00">April 21st, 3:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T15:13:35-07:00">April 21st, 3:13pm</time><address><a>David Bernal</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Is there anything Shohei Ohtani can’t do? One night after returning to the mound to toss four scoreless innings after failing to pitch the previous two weeks due to a blister issue, the two-way phenom stepped into the batter’s box and crushed a ball into the right-field stands for the Los Angeles Angels.</p><p>He hit that pitch like it had personally offended him. <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportWest/status/1384977006694047745">(Video via Bally Sports West)</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">We're soooooooaring, flyyyyyyyyyin💣💨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeBelieve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#WeBelieve</a> I <a href="https://twitter.com/Angels?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Angels</a> <a href="https://t.co/o2JrkyHTBq" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/o2JrkyHTBq</a></p><p>— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportWest/status/1384976060652064768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>With the Angels already holding a one-run lead against the beleaguered Texas Rangers in the bottom of the third inning <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-angels/roster">in their matinee game</a>, Ohtani stepped into the batter’s box to face Mike Foltynewicz for the second time. Having previously struck out looking in the first inning, Ohtani worked the count to even at 2-and-2 before belting a hanging breaking ball near the inside for a solo shot to right.</p><p>And just to show he had no need for rest only a day after pitching, Ohtani briskly sprinted around the base paths in just 17 seconds. We, on the other hand, are winded just watching him work.</p><p>While Ohtani has only been able to make two starts on the mound thus far–throwing 8.2 innings with a 1.04 era–the Angels designated hitter has more than made up for his lack of availability in the starting rotation with his work in the lineup card. Through 55 at-bats of the still-young season, Ohtani is <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ohtansh01.shtml">hitting</a> .309 (which is good), with a .345 OBP (which is very good), and a 175 OPS+ (which is stupefyingly good). All told, Ohtani has accumulated .8 WAR in just 14 games this year, leaving him just outside the top 10 of all positional players in the majors this season.</p><p>He is, however, number one in our hearts.</p><p> </p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Angels phenom Shohei Otani hits moonshot after pitching the night before

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Yankees-Stephen-King.jpeg"><figcaption>He said what?</figcaption></figure><h1>Master of horror Stephen King trolls the Yankees</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T10:18:12-07:00">April 21st, 10:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T10:18:12-07:00">April 21st, 10:18am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Famous novelist Stephen King knows a thing or two about horror. He can certainly recognize the atrocities of the New York Yankees amid their slow start to the 2021 MLB season.</p><p>King, who was born in Maine, is a noted Boston Red Sox fan. He is relishing both in Boston leading the American League East as well as the Yankees currently bringing up the rear in the division.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A fun ride. And it’s nice to see the Yankees in last place. <a href="https://t.co/HFrK5i9Sc8" target="_blank">https://t.co/HFrK5i9Sc8</a></p><p>— Stephen King (@StephenKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenKing/status/1384905562438184966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/new-york-yankees/schedule">New York’s 5-10 start</a> marked its <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1383883134039511043">worst opening stretch</a> since 1997. The Bronx Bombers found some solace in a win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, but things have been rather ugly thus far.</p><p>Many of the Yankees impact bats are struggling mightily. Shortstop Gleyber Torres has a .515 OPS. Clint Frazier was a breakout star in 2020, but is hitting just .162 with a strikeout rate well over 34 percent to begin the year.</p><p>Catcher Gary Sanchez started strong. However, he has just two hits in his last 15 at-bats. While designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is healthy and has three homers, he is hitting .170 with a .613 OPS and 20 strikeouts in 59 plate appearances for the Yankees.</p><p>Starting pitching has also been an issue for the Yankees. Gerrit Cole has lived up to his ace status. But newcomers Jameson Taillon and Corey Kluber have provided mixed results, and left-hander Jordan Montgomery has had some homer problems after a brilliant season debut.</p><p>Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has attempted to quell any notion manager Aaron Boone is on the hot seat. But time could be running out for Boone if New York cannot turn its season around in the coming months.</p><p>Meanwhile, King can continue to enjoy a Red Sox offense that is putting up runs in bunches.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Master of horror Stephen King trolls the Yankees

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/image_2021-04-21_211819.png"></figure><h1>MLB odds odds: Brewers vs. Padres prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T06:23:18-07:00">April 21st, 6:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T06:23:18-07:00">April 21st, 6:23am</time><address><a>Josh Fisher</a>Bringing you daily picks with detailed analysis and the latest news.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Milwaukee Brewers will take on the San Diego Padres in the finale of a three-game set on Wednesday afternoon. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Brewers-Padres prediction and pick.</p><p>Milwaukee will look to conclude a surprising three-game sweep of the Padres. Both teams are in the middle of their respective divisions and will look to climb the standings in a crucial NL matchup. Milwaukee and San Diego possess two of the best pitching staffs in the league, which could mean we’re in store for yet another low scoring affair in the finale.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/baseball/mlb" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Brewers-Padres odds.</p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Brewers-Padres Odds</b></h2><p>Milwaukee Brewers +1.5 (-135)</p><p>San Diego Padres -1.5 (+115)</p><p>Over 7.5 Runs (+100)</p><p>Under 7.5 Runs (-120)</p><h2><b>Why The Brewers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Milwaukee Brewers are coming off of two-straight victories against this juggernaut Padre team out west. The Brewers got off to a hot start to the series against a guy that recently threw an incredible no-hitter just a few starts ago. Milwaukee has been playing well of late, despite suffering injuries to key players like Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, and Kolten Wong. All three have landed on the IL and have left a huge void in this Brewer lineup. Avisail Garcia and Travis Shaw have played well to start the season and have been key factors in keeping their team afloat despite the injuries.</p><p>Milwaukee will send Adrian Houser to the bump in the finale against San Diego. Houser has surprisingly been their worst starter this season. He is currently 1-2 with a 3.14 ERA and has looked solid to open the year. His last performance against Pittsburgh was a bit underwhelming, giving up three runs in 4.1 innings of work. Houser has made one start against the Padres in his career, going 0-1 with a 2.16 ERA over 8.1 innings.</p><h2><b>Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The San Diego Padres have been reeling after starting the season off with an 8-3 record through their first 11 games. The Padres have lost six of their last eight games and are just a game above the .500 mark. Fernando Tatis Jr. has struggled since making his return and this lineup can’t seem to get anything going of late. Tats is hitting well below his weight and the team is currently hitting under .240 as a unit. Eric Hosmer has had a great season and has had some backup by guys like Manny Machado, Wil Meyers, and Trent Grisham. The Padres have only managed to stay above the surface because of their elite pitching staff.</p><p>San Diego will send out Danielson Lamet in the series finale against Milwaukee. Lames will make his season debut on Wednesday. Danielson had a phenomenal 2020 season before being shut down in late September, going 3-1 with a 2.09 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 69 innings of work. Lamet will look to build on last year’s success against a Brewer team that he is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA against in his career.</p><h2><b>Final Brewers-Padres Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Milwaukee Brewers aren’t the better team in this series, but they have certainly been playing much better baseball of late. The Brewers have won the first two games of this series and know the importance of winning every game against teams like the Padres. The pitching matchup should be exciting, which should ultimately keep this game close throughout. In a pitcher’s duel, I’ll give the edge to the Brewers because they have hit the ball a bit better in recent past.</p><p>FINAL PICK: Milwaukee Brewers +1.5 (-135)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB odds odds: Brewers vs. Padres prediction, odds, pick, and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/mlb.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers, others react to verdict of Derek Chauvin after George Floyd death</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-20T16:04:01-07:00">April 20th, 4:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-20T16:04:01-07:00">April 20th, 4:04pm</time><address><a>David Bernal</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Major League Baseball Players Association, Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker, and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> organization were among those in the baseball community to join with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-nba-stars-react-to-justice-for-george-floyd-after-derek-chauvin-found-guilty/">broader sports world</a> in issuing their reaction to the “guilty” verdict rendered in the murder trial of George Floyd.</p><p>While Major League Baseball and its players have not been as active as their NBA counterparts in campaigning for social justice causes over recent years, baseball has begun to grabble with its responsibility to advocate for racial equality. Particularly in the light of conversations around the lack of African-American representation in the sport.</p><p>The MLB’s late response on the George Floyd death was noticed by players and fans alike.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dusty Baker on today’s verdict: <a href="https://t.co/OPOP7BueVr" target="_blank">https://t.co/OPOP7BueVr</a></p><p>— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1384622649662341123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>In particular, Tony Clark, the Players Association executive director, issued a statement that promised to continue efforts toward racial equality and support those players who choose to speak out on such issues. In the past, major league players that have opted to utilize their platform for advocacy have faced criticism that such stances were inappropriate or potentially even “hurting the game.” Critiques that were often met with silence by the league office.</p><p>Reading Clark’s statement shows that the Players Association will be more aggressive in countering such narratives.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">MLBPA executive director Tony Clark statement <a href="https://t.co/id3GcKL8kf" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/id3GcKL8kf</a></p><p>— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1384625637567070213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>That the Dodgers would be among the first clubs to issue a reaction to the George Floyd verdict also comes as little surprise. Not only does the franchise have a history of supporting racial equality–helping Jackie Robinson break the color barrier in 1947, and more recently beginning an initiative to combat <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2020-07-17/dodgers-pledge-work-social-justice-in-this-together-initiative">racism</a>–but they are also lead by former MVP Mookie Betts, who has been vocal around social justice issues and has been <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/dodgers-mookie-betts-baseball-didnt-do-good-job-with-response-to-george-floyd/2392037/">critical</a> of the league’s silence in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Today our thoughts, prayers, &amp; condolences remain with George Floyd’s family, &amp; others that have recently been devastated by violence. The Dodgers will continue to support and encourage awareness and commit resources in the effort to address systemic inequity &amp; social injustice.</p><p>— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1384619751469510657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>If Major League Baseball is serious about its quest for racial diversity in the support, silence will no longer be sufficient.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers, others react to verdict of Derek Chauvin after George Floyd death

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mookie-Betts-David-Roberts-Dodgers.jpg"></figure><h1>Los Angeles ‘dodges a bullet’ with Mookie Betts injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-20T12:35:27-07:00">April 20th, 12:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-20T12:35:27-07:00">April 20th, 12:35pm</time><address><a>David Bernal</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> and star outfielder Mookie Betts can breathe a sigh of relief Tuesday afternoon after X-Rays on Betts’ forearm came back negative, according to a report by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The team had anxiously been awaiting the results of the scan following the former MVP enduring a brutal hit off a 95-mph fastball from Seattle Mariners pitcher Rafael Montero.</p><p>Though he was able to stay in the game as a runner along the basepaths, it was unclear if Betts had endured any structural damage to his arm that would sideline the outfielder for an extended period of time.</p><p>Remember to breathe, Dodgers fans.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Dodgers</a> can exhale: X-rays are negative on Mookie Betts' forearm. "We dodged a bullet there,'' manager Dave Roberts says.</p><p>— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1384579276859609089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>With Los Angeles down a run in the top of the 9th inning against the Mariners Monday evening, Betts stepped into the batter’s box hoping to spark a late-game rally for the NL West leaders. Looking to attack the batter with pitches inside to deny Betts the opportunity to extend his arms on a swing, Montero lost control of a fastball and ultimately beaned Mookie with the ball just above his elbow.</p><p>The pitch not only dropped the former MVP to the ground in pain but caused an audible reaction from the Dodgers broadcasting team as Dave Roberts and the training staff came rushing out.</p><p>While Betts remained in the contest along the basepaths, the Dodgers were still uncertain how significant the injury would turn out to be. Tuesday’s revelation that the pitch had failed to cause any lasting damage is the best-case scenario for the team, even if Betts is sidelined for the rest of the week with “soreness”.</p><p><a href="https://foxsportsradio.iheart.com/content/2021-04-20-dave-roberts-gives-update-on-mookie-betts-after-being-drilled-onforearm/">According</a> to Roberts, Betts will not be in the lineup against the Mariners Tuesday night but could see action as a late-game pinch-runner. Even if he isn’t in the batter’s box, seeing Mookie Betts on the field in any capacity is a win after last night’s scare.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Los Angeles ‘dodges a bullet’ with Mookie Betts injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Tom-Brady-reacts-to-Royals-All-Star-wearing-his-jersey-but-praising-Mahomes.jpeg"></figure><h1>Tom Brady reacts to Royals All-Star wearing his jersey but praising Mahomes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-20T10:27:04-07:00">April 20th, 10:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-20T10:27:04-07:00">April 20th, 10:27am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kansas City Royals <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/roster">catcher</a> Salvador Perez was forced to wear a Tom Brady jersey ahead of Monday’s tilt with the Tampa Bay Rays, but still showed allegiance to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Brady responded in kind.</p><p>Perez rocked Brady’s Buccaneers threads during batting practice as part of a bet he made with Rays utility man and former Royals teammate Brett Phillips. However, he made sure to give a little finger wag and a “Patrick Mahomes is the best” for the cameras.</p><p>Brady <a href="https://twitter.com/TomBrady/status/1384544984695721987?s=20">offered a simple retort</a>, saying “I think actions speak louder than words.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nahhh I think actions always speak louder than words 😉 <a href="https://t.co/OkilMGgwN5" target="_blank">https://t.co/OkilMGgwN5</a></p><p>— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomBrady/status/1384544984695721987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Mahomes <a href="https://twitter.com/PatrickMahomes/status/1384552751963676679?fbclid=IwAR01RvnZMp_4-JFgHkVE2ELJG5K6GgFD5aW7xdmd17ymjGOKhIs9XeioY5A">issued a response</a> of his own, suggesting the conversation about who the “best” quarterback really is might not be determined for years to come.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I guess we will see in 20 years… 🤷🏽‍♂️😎 <a href="https://t.co/CnndcM9ihj" target="_blank">https://t.co/CnndcM9ihj</a></p><p>— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatrickMahomes/status/1384552751963676679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Phillips-Perez bet stemmed from the Super Bowl showdown between Brady’s Bucs and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/roster">Mahomes’ Chiefs</a> this past February.</p><p>Tampa Bay got the better of Kansas City, with Perez ultimately making good on his promise. But it is no surprise Perez would still show loyalty to Mahomes. The Chiefs star–who is the son of a former MLB pitcher and was once a highly-touted prospect on the diamond–officially joined the Royals <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29552843/kansas-city-chiefs-qb-patrick-mahomes-now-part-owner-royals">ownership group</a> last summer.</p><p>However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tom-bradys-net-worth-in-2021/">Brady has the bragging rights</a> over Mahomes, at least for now. He defeated Mahomes and led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl in the AFC Championship Game in 2018 before again getting the better of Mahomes in February.</p><p>It would not be a surprise if Phillips and Perez had the opportunity to run the bet back next February. The Bucs are returning all 22 starters from last year’s Super Bowl squad, while the Chiefs are a perennial contender with Mahomes under center.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tom Brady reacts to Royals All-Star wearing his jersey but praising Mahomes

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Braves-Yankees-Ronald-Acuna-Jr.-Aaron-Judge.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB odds: Braves vs. Yankees prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-20T08:19:11-07:00">April 20th, 8:19am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-20T08:19:44-07:00">April 20th, 8:19am</time><address><a>Josh Fisher</a>Bringing you daily picks with detailed analysis and the latest news.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves head up north to take on the New York Yankees on Tuesday night. It’s time to continue our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-odds-giants-vs-phillies-prediction-odds-pick-and-more/">MLB odds series</a> and make a Braves-Yankees prediction and pick.</p><p>Atlanta is coming off of a crucial series win against the Chicago Cubs that was capped off by a nine-run victory in the finale. New York has lost five-straight games and will desperately look to get the bats going in this series. Will the Yankees be able to get back on track in a crucial inter-league series against the Braves?</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/baseball/mlb" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Braves-Yankees odds.</p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Braves-Yankees Odds</b></h2><p>Atlanta Braves +1.5 (-178)</p><p>New York Yankees -1.5 (+158)</p><p>Over 8.5 Runs (-120)</p><p>Under 8.5 Runs (+100)</p><h2><b>Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Atlanta Braves are beginning to find their stride behind the play of slugging outfielder Ronal Acuna Jr. Acuna enters this series with New York hitting .419 with seven home runs and 16 RBI. Atlanta avoided a train-wreck as Ronald left the field in their last game with an injury, but thankfully shouldn’t have to miss any time in this series. His availability will be crucial against a Yankee lineup capable of doing huge things on a daily basis.</p><p>Atlanta will send out right-hander Charlie Morton for his fourth start of the season. Charlie is currently 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA. He received a no-decision in his last start against Miami. Morton allowed five earned runs in six innings of work. He will have a good chance to have a bounce-back outing against a Yankee group that has failed to surpass three runs in five of their last six games coming in.</p><h2><b>Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The New York Yankees have been playing horribly of late. They come into this game having lost their last five games. The Yankees are currently in last place in the AL East at 5-10 and have shown no signs of life lately. New York’s lineup has been terrible, hitting just .210 with 55 runs scored on the young season. One would have to assume that these struggles are uncharacteristic and the loaded Yankee lineup will get things going in the near future.</p><p>New York will send out right-hander Jameson Taillon for his third start of the season. Taillon is 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA through 8 1/3 innings of work. He allowed five earned runs in his last start against Toronto and desperately needs a quality start to get his first season in Pinstripes on the right track. The thing that Taillon has going for him is that his team is 4-1 in their last five home games against Atlanta coming in.</p><h2><b>Final Braves-Yankees Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>One would have to assume that the New York Yankees will return to form in the very near future. The struggles have been shocking and the Yankee core will all be on the field against the Braves. Atlanta’s pitching has struggled this season, which gives New York a great opportunity to start stringing together some much-needed offense. If Taillon can deliver a quality start, New York will win this game by at least two runs.</p><p>FINAL PICK: New York Yankees ML (-123)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB odds: Braves vs. Yankees prediction, odds, pick, and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Chiefs-Patrick-Mahomes-Royals.jpeg"><figcaption>The Royals are off to a quick start in 2021</figcaption></figure><h1>Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes left in awe by Royals’ strong start</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-20T07:57:07-07:00">April 20th, 7:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-20T07:57:07-07:00">April 20th, 7:57am</time><address><a>Mitchell Widmeier</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is no stranger to getting his team off to quick starts in the season. The Chiefs have taken over as top dog in the AFC with back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, having won one of them. This is due in large part to their ability to hit the ground running at the start of the regular season. The same can be side for the Kansas City Royals this year, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/standings">who currently sit atop the American League Central standings</a> early on in the year. Mahomes has taken notice.</p><p>In an <a href="https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/2021/04/20/kansas-city-chiefs-royals-patrick-mahomes-hot-start-2021-mlb-season/">article posted by Ed Easton Jr. to USA Today’s “Chiefswire,”</a> he notes Mahomes’ enthusiasm towards the Royals quick start.</p><blockquote>“I mean, I think we have the best record in AL right now,” said Mahomes.”I know it’s by a couple of percentage points, but to see them starting so hot and really getting contributions from everybody on the team gives me optimism of having a great run. It’s carried over since spring training and will hopefully carry through the rest of the season.” – Mahomes.</blockquote><p>The Chiefs superstar quarterback became a part-owner of the Royals last year after he signed his massive deal with Kansas City. The sport itself is one that Mahomes is very familiar with, as his dad was a Major League pitcher when Mahomes was just growing up.</p><p>The energy and enthusiasm surrounding the Royals early on is slowly gaining traction in a city that is now used to seeing their Chiefs win. Now, they’d like to see their Royals get back to some of its successful ways from just a few seasons ago.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes left in awe by Royals’ strong start

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MLB-odds-odds-Giants-vs.jpeg"></figure><h1>MLB odds: Giants vs. Phillies prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-19T13:11:12-07:00">April 19th, 1:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-19T13:11:12-07:00">April 19th, 1:11pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Francisco Giants take on the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game set in Philly. It’s time for us to continue or MLB odds series and make a Phillies-Giants prediction and pick for the game on Monday.</p><p>The first game of the series will feature Chase Anderson on the mound for the home squad and Giants ace Kevin Gausman throwing for the West Coast team. Both teams are coming off shutout victories on Sunday as the Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 and the Giants beat the Miami Marlins 1-0.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/baseball/mlb">sportsbooks</a> have set the Giants-Phillies odds for Monday’s game.</p><h2>MLB Odds: Giants-Phillies Odds</h2><p>San Francisco Giants -1 1/2 (+150)</p><p>Philadelphia Phillies + 1 1/2 (-170)</p><p>Over 8 1/2  runs (-106)</p><p>Under 8 1/2 runs (-114)</p><h2>Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread</h2><p>The Phillies have been wildly inconsistent to start the young season. They won four straight to start the year, then went 1-3 in the next four, and have gone 2-4 in their past half a dozen games.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/roster">Their offense</a> is middle of the pack in batting average and on-base percentage and Bryce Harper can explode on any given night, not to mention JT Realmuto.</p><p>The Phillies pitching is also middle of the pack and Zach Wheeler got roughed up last time out. As for Anderson, he is making his third start of the year. In his first two starts, he threw for a total of nine innings and gave up four runs and five hits, so the potential is there.</p><p>The Giants’ offense isn’t the most noteworthy lineup in baseball and if Anderson can throw five or six solid innings, and the offense can plate a few runs, the Phillies should take game one of the series at home.</p><h2>Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread</h2><p>Somehow, someway, the Giants <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/san-francisco-giants/roster">are second</a> in the National League West. Granted it’s still early, but they have done a nice job proving people wrong early on.</p><p>Despite being ninth in the majors in home runs, they sit towards the bottom in just about every offensive category. On the flip side, their pitching has been off the charts.</p><p>The Giants’ hurlers rank third in ERA and fifth in batting average against. As for Gausman, he has been incredible to start the year for the Bay Area squad.</p><p>Gausman has thrown at least six innings in each start and gave up a combined two runs in his first two starts before giving up five to the Cincinnati Reds his last time out.</p><p>Gausman should come in and throw well and limit the Phillies’ offense to only a couple of runs.</p><h2>Finals Giants-Phillies prediction &amp; Pick</h2><p>All in all, the Giants limit the Phillies’ offense because of Gausman’s strong outing. The San Francisco bats plate a couple of runs early, but the bullpen allows the Phillies to get back in the game late and ultimately allow the Phils to escape with a victory. This game probably exceeds the run line of 8 1/2, but not by much. Fire up the Phillies in the first game of the series.</p><p><b>Final Pick: Philadelphia Phillies </b></p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB odds: Giants vs. Phillies prediction, odds, pick, and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/White-Sox-Yermin-Mercedes-Lucas-Giolito.jpg"></figure><h1>White Sox folk hero Yermin Mercedes takes mound after rough Lucas Giolito start vs. Red Sox</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-19T11:44:05-07:00">April 19th, 11:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-19T11:45:49-07:00">April 19th, 11:45am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There was only one man who could take the mound for the Chicago White Sox after Lucas Giolito and the rest of the staff were roughed up Monday against the Boston Red Sox.</p><p>That man is the “Yerminator.”</p><p>Yermin Mercedes added to his growing legend by making his first career pitching appearance with the South Siders facing a 10-4 deficit in the seventh inning.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Yermin Mercedes is now pitching for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhiteSox?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#WhiteSox</a>, who trail the Red Sox 10-4 in 7th. We've already heard Steve Stone's story linking him to the first cell phone in 1982, so in final two innings can only hope Stoney shares his memories of being there when the internet was invented.</p><p>— David Haugh (@DavidHaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidHaugh/status/1384205003607269386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Yermin Mercedes rocking the Fernando Rodney style hat in his first pitching appearance. YERMINATER <a href="https://t.co/VwwikFQiq2" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/VwwikFQiq2</a></p><p>— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) <a href="https://twitter.com/DannyVietti/status/1384205398568149006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Mercedes gave up one run on three hits and a pair of walks.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mercedes allowed one run on three hits with two walks in the seventh.<br>Going to the eighth: Red Sox 11, White Sox 4.</p><p>— LaMond Pope (@lamondpope) <a href="https://twitter.com/lamondpope/status/1384207701589184520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The White Sox were already mailing this one in after their starter, Giolito, gave up eight hits and seven runs in just one inning of work. But at least fans got to see Mercedes take the bump.</p><p>Mercedes has been an absolute godsend for the White Sox following Eloy Jimenez’s torn pectoral injury at the end of spring training.</p><p>The 28-year-old spent the better part of a decade in the minor leagues before Jimenez’s injury forced Chicago to take drastic measures. But Mercedes has seized the most of his opportunity.</p><p>Mercedes hit safely in each of his first eight plate appearances of the season. He entered Monday’s game slashing .415/.456/.717 with four homers and 12 RBI, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/chicago-white-sox/roster">giving the White Sox much-needed production</a> with boppers such as Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada off to slow starts.</p><p>It remains to be seen whether Mercedes can continue producing at a high level. His <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/yermin-mercedes-606213?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb">average exit velocity</a> (87.7 mph) and hard-hit rate (33.3 percent) seem to point to regression. But he ranks in the 94th percentile in max exit velocity and whiff rate, both encouraging metrics in projecting future success.</p><p>Mercedes has done it all for the White Sox thus far, with his latest exploits including a trip to the mound.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

White Sox folk hero Yermin Mercedes takes mound after rough Lucas Giolito start vs. Red Sox

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cody-Bellinger-Lakers.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger comes clean about not being a fan of the Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-19T08:02:54-07:00">April 19th, 8:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-19T08:07:53-07:00">April 19th, 8:07am</time><address><a>Johnny Recks</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Just because Cody Bellinger is a massive sports superstar in Los Angeles, it doesn’t mean that his NBA fandom affiliation is rooted in Hollywood. In fact, he’s neither a Los Angeles Lakers nor LA Clippers fan. In a recent interview with <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cody-bellinger-rule-change-wants-141121017.html">Adam Caparell of Yahoo! Entertainment</a>, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first baseman revealed that he remains a Phoenix Suns supporter, which makes a lot of sense because he is from Arizona.</p><blockquote>“So all my boys home are huge Suns fans. They watch every game. So therefore I have had a liking for the Suns. They added Chris Paul and they’ve been very good so I like watching the Suns and I turn them on every once in a while here. I’m a Suns guy. I like rooting for the Suns with my boys down here in Arizona.”</blockquote><p>Hopefully, this doesn’t cause a massive riot in Los Angeles. But kidding aside, Bellinger definitely deserves a pass for liking a team that’s outside of his current ball club’s geographical location. After all the contributions he’s given the Dodgers so far in his MLB career, what’s there to stop him from kicking it back and cracking a cold one while watching and cheering for the Suns when they’re up against the Purple and Gold?</p><p>Bellinger was part of the Dodgers team that won the World Series last season. During the 2020 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/schedule">season</a>, he slashed .239/.333/.789 — unspectacular numbers that don’t define how great of a ballplayer he is.</p><p>The Dodgers are off to a hot start this 2020 MLB season, and they could get even hotter once Bellinger gets back to action and finds his rhythm, as he is currently out with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-cody-bellinger-hairline-fracture-in-leg-per-dave-roberts/">hairline fracture</a> in his left fibula. At the very least, he’s got time to watch the Suns, who are having quite a season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger comes clean about not being a fan of the Lakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/image_2021-04-18_211655.png"></figure><h1>MLB odds: Dodgers vs. Padres prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-18T06:20:09-07:00">April 18th, 6:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-18T06:20:09-07:00">April 18th, 6:20am</time><address><a>Josh Fisher</a>Bringing you daily picks with detailed analysis and the latest news.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers will conclude their highly-touted divisional matchup on Sunday. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Dodgers-Padres prediction and pick.</p><p>This series finale will feature two aces as reigning Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer will go up against Padres left-hander Blake Snell. After a thrilling extra-inning win in game one, the Dodgers continued their success in game two of this series with a 2-0 victory on Saturday. Will the Dodgers be able to complete the sweep against a Padres team that is likely their biggest competition in 2021?</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/baseball/mlb" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Dodgers-Padres odds.</p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Dodgers-Padres Odds</b></h2><p>Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+135)</p><p>San Diego Padres +1.5 (-155)</p><p>Over 7.5 Runs (-120)</p><p>Under 7.5 Runs (+100)</p><p> </p><h2><b>Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>Is it possible to say that the Los Angeles Dodgers are better than they were in 2020? The stretch that this team is on is absolutely incredible. Los Angeles has won 12 of their last 13 games since dropping the opener to Colorado. Los Angeles has raked at the plate and dominated on the bump. The offense has been stellar for Los Angeles as they lead the league in OPS and runs scored on the season. They have found all of this success without slugging center fielder Cody Bellinger, who will be out for an extended period of time. Justin Turner, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, and Corey Seager lead the best lineup in the league to consistent success on a nightly basis.</p><p>The 2020 NL Cy Young Award went to Dodgers right-hander Trevor Bauer. The lethal right-hander had a 1.73 ERA in 11 starts for the Cincinnati Reds last season. Bauer has risen to a new level of success over the past few years and seems to have carried that success over with him to Los Angeles. The Dodger ace currently has a 2.70 ERA in three starts this season. Trevor Bauer’s recent success will be put to the test against the second-best lineup in the league.</p><p> </p><h2><b>Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The San Diego Padres will look to salvage the series against the unbeatable Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego almost came from behind to steal the first game of this series. They followed the impressive performance with an absolute dud in game two as they couldn’t get anything going at the plate. The Padres have to be devastated with that performance, but grateful that they at least have Fernando Tatis Jr. back in the lineup. Tatis and the Padres currently rank sixth in the league in OPS this season. San Diego’s offense has been great this season behind great performances from Tatis, Manny Machado, Will Meyers, Eric Hosmer, and Trent Grisham.</p><p>The Padres will send out left-hander Blake Snell for the finale on Sunday. Snell was acquired from Tampa Bay during the offseason and will be looking to bounce back in 2021 with his new club. Blake steadily regressed over his past few seasons with the Rays despite the lethal stuff he still possesses. Control has been his biggest issue as Snell has walked eight batters in 10 1/3 innings this season. He has 17 strikeouts on the season, which shows that he will have a ton of success as long as he finds the zone on a semi-regular basis.</p><p> </p><h2><b>Final Dodgers-Padres Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>This pick has been set on auto-pilot for the foreseeable future. Kudos to you if you have taken the Dodgers to win every game since the start of the season. It’s not even fair for the rest of the league at this point. Los Angeles is clearly the best team in baseball, possesses the best lineup in baseball, and sends out an ace in every game. Trevor Bauer is next in line for the Dodgers as the merry-go-round continues to produce elite production. Give me Los Angeles to complete the sweep as they have a favorable matchup against an erratic Blake Snell.</p><p>FINAL PICK: Los Angeles Dodgers ML (-120)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB odds: Dodgers vs. Padres prediction, odds, pick, and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/cody-bellinger.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers star Cody Bellinger has hairline fracture in leg, per Dave Roberts</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-16T17:34:53-07:00">April 16th, 5:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-16T17:34:53-07:00">April 16th, 5:34pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While there was some optimism about Cody Bellinger being able to suit up for the Los Angeles Dodgers for the coming weekend series against the San Diego Padres, it now looks as though the star is going to be out of action for a few more games.</p><p>According to LA team manager Dave Roberts, Bellinger is currently dealing with a hairline fracture in his leg. This report comes from <a href="https://twitter.com/jorgecastillo/status/1383203072533401603" rel="noopener">Jorge Castillo of the LA Times</a>:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dave Roberts said a recent test showed a hairline fracture in Cody Bellinger's leg.</p><p>— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) <a href="https://twitter.com/jorgecastillo/status/1383203072533401603?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Cody Bellinger was initially tagged with a left calf contusion after being hit on April 5. He has missed eight games since, and his extended time on the sidelines has raised a bit of concern. True enough, it has now been confirmed that Bellinger is currently dealing with more than just a contusion.</p><p>Roberts, however, did not reveal how much longer they expect their star center fielder to be out of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/roster" rel="noopener">roster</a> in light of this recent development. It would not be surprising, however, if Bellinger is forced to miss a significant amount of time due to this injury.</p><p>As for the Padres, it was earlier announced that Fernando Tatis Jr. is expected to participate in the Dodgers series after missing the past nine games due to a left shoulder injury. It would have been ideal to see both teams at full strength during the series, but this just wasn’t going to be the case.</p><p>More information should arrive soon on Bellinger’s status moving forward and we will make sure to pass along the information as they come. Keep your eyes here for the latest on this developing story.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers star Cody Bellinger has hairline fracture in leg, per Dave Roberts

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Fernando-Tatis-Jr.-.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr returns to San Diego lineup for showdown with division rivals Dodgers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-16T15:55:57-07:00">April 16th, 3:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-16T15:55:57-07:00">April 16th, 3:55pm</time><address><a>Sam Mendelsohn</a>From a very young age Sam Mendelsohn has always had a passion for sports and sports writing. He brings a breadth of experience with his time at Sports Betting Dime and Oddsshark.Sam’s interest in sports journalism guided him into the College of Sports Media and the Centennial College Sports Journalism program to pursue his career. He has been a writer, reporter, commentator and broadcaster for CBC Sports, TSN 1050 &amp; 690, and the Oshawa Generals.His dedication to sports and sports news is evident in his considerable portfolio of writing, game reports, analysis, and features. You can follow him on:</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/san-diego-padres">San Diego Padres</a> fans rejoice. Superstar shortstop Ferenando Tatis Jr. was<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/fernando-tatis-jr-activated-from-injured-list"> activated off the Injured List</a> and will be in tonight’s lineup for a very crucial series.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">NEWS: Fernando Tatis Jr. officially activated from the 10-day IL. <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@MLB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@MLBNetwork</a></p><p>— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/1383181771584442372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The 22-year-old Padres shortstop hurt himself in what looked like a catastrophic-looking left shoulder injury back on April 5th. The initial thought was that it wasn’t serious although it looked like Tatis Jr. was in a boatload of pain.</p><p>Tatis Jr. is coming off an incredible 2020 campaign in which he finished fourth in the NL MVP balloting. This past offseason, Tatis signed a $340 million contract extension over 14 years, one of the longest and richest contracts in MLB history.</p><p>The Padres shortstop will start in his usual two-hole in the lineup as they open up a series against their NL West rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Even though it’s very early in the season, the Padres are 2.5 games back of the Dodgers with a record of 9-5. These games between the two teams is always a good measuring stick, to see where each team is at. In the nine games that Tatis Jr. missed for the Padres, the team went 6-3.</p><p>In just five games this season, Tatis Jr. was struggling with just one home run and a .167 batting average. The hope is that the Padres shortstop took the time to rest up and that he will be ready to get back to his 2020 version in no time. The Padres need him to be healthy and good come playoff time, so if the doctors gave him the green light then the expectation is that he shouldn’t worry about re-injuring it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr returns to San Diego lineup for showdown with division rivals Dodgers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Jacob-deGrom.jpg"></figure><h1>Jacob deGrom will go down as a top-5 pitcher of all time</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-16T14:57:29-07:00">April 16th, 2:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-16T14:57:29-07:00">April 16th, 2:57pm</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/new-york-mets">New York Mets</a> ace Jacob deGrom has become known as much for his unfortunate lack of run support as being the best pitcher in baseball.</p><p>But make no mistake about it, deGrom is headed for Cooperstown. In fact, he could be one of the five best pitchers in MLB history when all is said and done.</p><p>Sound like a reach? It might be. However, deGrom revealed to <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/31249259/an-inner-circle-hall-famer-jacob-degrom-wants-generation-randy-johnson">ESPN’s Jeff Passan</a> he intends to pitch into his 40s.</p><p>Considering the tall right-hander has somehow managed to gain velocity in his 30s, he seems like a strong candidate to dominate the rest of his 30s and perhaps even into his next decade. That could most certainly lead to deGrom being included among the very best pitchers in the history of the game.</p><p>Let’s dive in a little deeper.</p><h2>The accolades</h2><p>For starters, deGrom already has some of the accolades to lay claim to being one of the best pitchers in MLB history.</p><p>The Florida native is a former National League Rookie of the Year. He won an ERA title in 2018, which was also the first of back-to-back NL Cy Young Awards. Just 22 pitchers, including deGrom, have won multiple Cy Youngs.</p><p>Here’s another interesting nugget: deGrom currently ranks fourth all-time and second among active starters in <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/earned_run_avg_plus_career.shtml">adjusted ERA+</a>.</p><p>So, deGrom already has a strong resume. But this is also a guy who, at 32-years-old, only seems to be on the rise. He figures to add more accolades when it’s all said and done.</p><h2>Improved stuff</h2><p>deGrom has probably the best arsenal in modern MLB history thanks in part to added velocity.</p><p>Indeed, DeGrom has added <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/jacob-degrom-594798?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb#pitch_tracking">multiple ticks</a> to his four-seam fastball since 2016. He leads all starters in <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/pitch-arsenals">average fastball velocity</a> at an absurd 99.1 mph.</p><p>Why is that so important? Well, deGrom throws multiple pitches off the heater, both at 90-plus and breaking in separate directions. His slider has exceptional late action. The changeup falls off the map running down and into right-handers and away from lefties.</p><p>That incredible arsenal has helped deGrom lead the NL in strikeouts twice while also ranking towards the top of MLB in whiff rate. He usually generates soft contact, as well.</p><p>Just imagine if deGrom has sustained velocity and sharpness through his mid-30s and into his late-30s. It’s entirely possible. Justin Verlander is one example of a guy who maintained strong velocity and an exceptional breaking ball late in his career.</p><h2>Added context</h2><p>Something to consider: Roger Clemens–third in pitcher WAR–experienced somewhat of a lull in his mid-30s before a late-career resurgence.</p><p>However, deGrom has seemingly yet to reach his peak. Indeed, his strikeouts per nine innings rose considerably from 2019 to 2020. Again, that’s pretty terrifying considering he was coming off his second Cy Young campaign in 2019. He might even have won his third last summer if not for a late-season injury.</p><p>DeGrom could very well have as high a seven-year peak as any pitcher in MLB history when all is said and done. He figures to keep racking up strikeouts and awards. He might keep climbing the ERA+ leaderboard.</p><p>Baseball fans should relish every opportunity to watch deGrom go to work. He is bound to go down as one of the very best pitchers in the history of the game</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jacob deGrom will go down as a top-5 pitcher of all time

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cubs-news-David-Ross_-mind-is-blown-by-suspensions-ahead-of-Braves-game-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Cubs manager David Ross’ mind is blown by suspensions ahead of Braves game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-16T10:55:11-07:00">April 16th, 10:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-16T10:55:11-07:00">April 16th, 10:55am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs are preparing for a three-game set with the Atlanta Braves, but manager David Ross will not be on the bench for the series opener.</p><p>Ross has been suspended for his role in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/chicago-cubs/roster">team’s decision</a> to throw behind Milwaukee Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff on Tuesday as retaliation for Milwaukee drilling Cubs catcher Willson Contreras on multiple occasions early in the 2021 season. Woodruff hit Contreras earlier in the game.</p><p>The Cubs skipper and longtime MLB backstop was taken aback by MLB’s suspensions, saying there was little harm in a message pitch thrown behind Woodruff’s calf:</p><blockquote>“This is a ball that got pulled down around a guy’s [Woodruff’s] calf,” Ross said, via ESPN’s <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31270044/chicago-cubs-manager-david-ross-hard-understanding-suspensions">Jesse Rogers</a>. “We’re talking about a middle-of-the-order bat, for us, that got hit in the head, hit in the hand and up around his face. Since I’ve been here we lead the league in getting hit, and it’s not even close, and we’ve never intentionally retaliated.”</blockquote><p>Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera, who threw at Woodruff, was suspended three games. Ross and game-planning coach Mike Borzello were each suspended one game.</p><p>Chicago does not believe the Brewers were intentionally trying to plunk Contreras. But Milwaukee plunked the Cubs catcher three times–once in the head–as a result of trying to work the ball on the inner third of the plate. Outfielder Jason Heyward told Rogers the Cubs had to “draw the line” at some point in an effort to protect their guy.</p><p>Contreras got the last laugh on Tuesday, clubbing a go-ahead, two-run homer that made the difference in the game. It was a rare moment of bliss for a Cubs offense that is off to a historically bad start.</p><p>Chicago will try to get the ball rolling against the three-time reigning <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/atlanta-braves/records">National League East champions</a> on Friday, though it will do so without Ross on the bench.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs manager David Ross’ mind is blown by suspensions ahead of Braves game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dodgers-Padres-prediction-MLB-odds-pick.jpeg"><figcaption>Here's the pick!</figcaption></figure><h1>MLB odds: Dodgers vs. Padres prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-16T09:34:11-07:00">April 16th, 9:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-16T09:34:11-07:00">April 16th, 9:34am</time><address><a>Josh Fisher</a>Bringing you daily picks with detailed analysis and the latest news.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers will open up a crucial three-game set against the Padres in San Diego on Friday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Dodgers-Padres prediction and pick.</p><p>This series features a potential preview of this year’s National League Championship Series. The Dodgers and the Padres are currently the top-two teams in the National League and these games will be crucial in determining the order of the top-two come October.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/baseball/mlb" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Dodgers-Padres odds.</p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Dodgers-Padres Odds</b></h2><p>Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+108)</p><p>San Diego Padres +1.5 (-128)</p><p>Over 8 Runs (-108)</p><p>Under 8 Runs (-112)</p><h2><b>Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers have won 10 of their last 11 games since dropping the season opener to the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers have defended their title quite well this far, to say the least. Los Angeles is seeing all of this recent success without their top slugger Cody Bellinger. Justin Turner has led the way for the Dodgers, batting .390 with three home runs and 11 RBI. Los Angeles has four other players hitting over .300 and five others with at least two home runs on the season. Second-baseman Zach McKinstry has been a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers, currently hitting .333 with three home runs and 11 RBI.</p><p>Walker Buehler will get the ball in game one for the Dodgers. Buehler will make his third start of the season for his club. He is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his first two starts. The right-hander has allowed two runs, ten hits, and no walks across 12 impressive innings of work for the Dodgers. The last time Buehler saw the Padres was in the 2020 NLDS, where he allowed two hits, one run, and struck out eight over four innings.</p><h2><b>Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>The San Diego Padres have seen a lot of success this far after an impressive offseason. Their first goal will be to conquer the NL West title for the first time in a long while. This will be a huge series for the Padres as they’re currently looking up at the Dodgers in the division. Eric Hosmer has been the catalyst for this group, leading the way with three home runs and 11 RBI. Jake Cronenworth and Wil Myers are the only other Padres currently batting over .300. San Diego’s fans will be excited to watch the emergence of Manny Machado at some point soon as he has seen uncharacteristic struggles out of the gate.</p><p>2018 first-rounder Ryan Weathers will make his first career start in the opener. Weathers made his first-ever appearance toward the back end of last season and faced the Dodgers once in the postseason. He allowed no hits, no runs, and two walks over 1.1 innings of work in the NLDS. Weathers has made three appearances out of the bullpen this season. He has a win and a save in six innings of work.</p><h2><b>Final Dodgers-Padres Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers are a legitimate juggernaut in the National League. They are the hottest team in the league right now and have shown no signs of slowing down. The Dodgers don’t know how to lose, especially with Walker Buehler on the bump. San Diego hitters are batting .111 lifetime against the flame-throwing right-hander. Ryan Weathers will have his hands full in his first career start as well. All of this leads to the final Dodgers – Padres prediction.</p><p>FINAL PICK: Los Angeles Dodgers ML (-145)</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Padres-Fernando-Tatis-Jr..jpeg"><figcaption>Tatis Jr. is back!</figcaption></figure><h1>Fernando Tatis Jr. to make miracle return for Padres after scary shoulder injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-16T06:44:48-07:00">April 16th, 6:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-16T06:44:48-07:00">April 16th, 6:44am</time><address><a>Mike Cruz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Diego Padres fans held their breathe when shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/fernando-tatis-jr-injured-on-strikeout">fell down to the ground in agony, clutching his shoulder</a>, in their game against the San Francisco Giants on April 5. Many believed the 22-year old would be done for the season. However, Tatis Jr. may actually miraculously make his return to the field way sooner than anyone would have predicted.</p><p>According to Jon Morosi of The MLB Network, the Padres are expected to activate Tatis Jr., just nearly two weeks after the scary-looking injury. This comes ahead of their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/san-diego-padres/schedule">highly-anticipated series</a> against the defending MLB champion Los Angeles Dodgers.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">News: Fernando Tatis Jr. is expected to be activated by the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padres?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Padres</a> today, in advance of tonight's series opener against the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Dodgers</a>. We have been anticipating this series for months — and now one of the main characters is returning. <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@MLB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@MLBNetwork</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxSportsRadio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@FoxSportsRadio</a></p><p>— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/1383027639439482882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It is definitely a welcome sight for Padres fans. Likewise, it is also going to be treat for baseball fans in general, as the Dodgers-Padres rivalry won’t be devoid of San Diego’s 22-year old superstar. It seems like Tatis Jr.’s injury wasn’t as bad as it initially appeared when he suddenly dropped after swinging for the fences.</p><p>Nevertheless, the thought of Tatis Jr. re-aggravating his injury shouldn’t leave the minds of the San Diego faithful. That’s why Tatis Jr. has been ramping up his baseball activities and is reportedly looking to change up his follow through to lessen the probability of  adding further damage to his already ailing shoulder.</p><p>Fernando Tatis Jr. had an amazing 2020 campaign that saw him finish 4th in the National MVP race with the Padres. His stellar campaign, unfortunately, ended at the hands of the eventual champion Dodgers. Perhaps exacting his revenge on the team that eliminated the Padres is adding more motivation for Tatis Jr. to make it back to the field just in time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fernando Tatis Jr. to make miracle return for Padres after scary shoulder injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Los-Angeles-gathers-around-statue-on-Jackie-Robinson-Day.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers gather around statue on Jackie Robinson Day</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-15T17:39:33-07:00">April 15th, 5:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-15T17:40:06-07:00">April 15th, 5:40pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jackie Robinson’s influence in baseball, not to mention sports in general, was once again celebrated by the Los Angeles Dodgers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers">on Thursday.</a></p><p>To commemorate the MLB’s Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, the entire Dodgers team gathered for a powerful moment of remembrance and reflection.</p><p>The team congregated near the Jackie Robinson statue outside Dodger Stadium ahead of their game against the Colorado Rockies. Following tradition, each player donned Robinson’s iconic No. 42 jersey.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The entire <a href="https://twitter.com/Dodgers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Dodgers</a> team gathered at the Jackie Robinson statue before their game tonight. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jackie42?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Jackie42</a> <a href="https://t.co/qGqZ5Tyihw" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/qGqZ5Tyihw</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1382832115100835843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 15, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The MLB also announced that its players will be wearing Jackie Robinson-themed Air Griffey Max 1 cleats on the field.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">You'll see these Jackie Robinson-themed Air Griffey Max 1 cleats on the field today! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jackie42?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Jackie42</a> <a href="https://t.co/LVj0I4PN2Y" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/LVj0I4PN2Y</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1382735585853444103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 15, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>On this day 74 years ago, Robinson broke the color barrier when he became the first African American player to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. He started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers, marking the end of racial segregation in <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1382735585853444103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1382735585853444103%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1098401action%3Dedit">professional baseball.</a></p><p>The league began celebrating Jackie Robinson Day in 2004, which soon evolved into one of MLB’s most sacred traditions.</p><blockquote>“I have often stated that baseball’s proudest moment and its most powerful social statement came on April 15, 1947 when… Robinson first set foot on a Major League Baseball field,” former MLB commissioner Bud Selig once said about Jackie Robinson Day.“On that day, Jackie brought down the color barrier and ushered in the era in which baseball became the true national pastime. Fifty years after that historic event, in April 1997, I was proud to join Rachel Robinson and President Bill Clinton at Shea Stadium to honor Jackie by retiring his uniform number 42 in perpetuity. By establishing April 15 as ‘Jackie Robinson Day’ throughout Major League Baseball, we are further ensuring that the incredible contributions and sacrifices he made — for baseball and society — will not be forgotten.”</blockquote><p>Robinson’s inspiring story, meanwhile, has been told several times on the big screen. The late actor Chadwick Boseman was lauded for his portrayal of Robinson in the 2013 film <i>42</i>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers gather around statue on Jackie Robinson Day

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lakers-news-LeBron-James-will-miss-first-game-of-the-season-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James responds to criticisms on now-deleted Ma’Khia Bryant tweet</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T16:39:03-07:00">April 21st, 4:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T17:06:28-07:00">April 21st, 5:06pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James practice what he preached and showed some accountability following the ramifications of his now-deleted tweet in response to the Ma’Khia Bryant shooting in Columbus, Ohio. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1385011051087810561" rel="noopener">admitted</a> that anger clouded his judgement at a time of turmoil and apologized for letting emotions getting the better of him.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ANGER does any of us any good and that includes myself! Gathering all the facts and educating does though! My anger still is here for what happened that lil girl. My sympathy for her family and may justice prevail! 🙏🏾✊🏾🤎👑</p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1385011051087810561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The four-time NBA champion received major flak when he posted a photo of the police officer who shot the 16-year-old African-American girl. Twitter users did not appreciate LeBron’s threatening caption “YOU’RE NEXT” alongside the hashtag #ACCOUNTABILITY. The King eventually deleted the tweet following the backlash, which also came after more details about the incident surfaced.</p><p>LeBron James, of course, is never one to just shut up and dribble when it comes to matters of social injustice. He also tweeted “Accountability” on Tuesday following Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict over the killing of George Floyd. LeBron probably got carried away after hearing another death of an African-American.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ACCOUNTABILITY</p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1384629525749788676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>After all, this one hits close to home for James, who was born and raised in Akron, which is not too far from Columbus.</p><p>But by doing so, he neglected to get his facts straight first and get the whole picture before his tweet. As it turns out, according to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lebron-james-responds-to-criticisms-on-now-deleted-makhia-bryant-tweet/" rel="noopener">reports</a>, the victim figured in an attempted stabbing of another civilian before the police officer resorted to shooting her.</p><p>More information are expected to be revealed as authorities conduct their investigation. For now, LeBron James is only hoping for true justice to prevail.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James responds to criticisms on now-deleted Ma’Khia Bryant tweet

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Jaguars-will-be-making-a-huge-mistake-by-taking-Trevor-Lawrence-in-2021-NFL-Draft-THumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Jaguars will be making a huge mistake by taking Trevor Lawrence in 2021 NFL Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T14:22:41-07:00">April 21st, 2:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T14:22:41-07:00">April 21st, 2:22pm</time><address><a>David Bernal</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>For the better part of the past year, the conventional <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2021-nfl-mock-draft-round-1/">wisdom</a> has held that former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence would not only be the top overall selection in the upcoming NFL Draft but is also a <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/back-2-campus/once-in-a-generation-is-trevor-lawrence-nfl-s-next-big-thing">generational</a> talent capable of singlehandedly changing the fortunes of whichever franchise lucky enough to select him. While Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars appear <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/with-urban-meyer-trevor-lawrence-and-a-new-look-jaguars-fans-are-sold-on-whats-going-on-in-jacksonville/">set</a> to follow the thinking of the masses and choose Lawrence with the first pick in the draft, the reality is that the QB prospect is less of a sure thing than his proponents would have you believe.</p><p>Specifically, Lawrence could struggle in a league where there is enough parity across the board that he cannot simply out-talent his way to victory.</p><p>During his tenure with the Tigers, Lawrence tended to rely on his brute arm strength and superior speed of his receivers to force the ball into tighter windows than he otherwise should have. Through a combination of sheer athletic talent on the side of the Clemson receiving corps and the strength of Lawrence’s right arm, the former National Championship MVP was picked off only 17 times over the course of his three-year career with the Tigers–good enough for a <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4360310/trevor-lawrence">minuscule</a> 1.4 interception rate. Emboldened by his continued success attacking secondaries down the field, Lawrence largely operated in the same way throughout his tenure, valuing quick releases and his throwing ability rather than trusting his offensive line to hold the pocket while he made more mature reads.</p><p>Even if his career numbers are positive–and to be clear, Lawrence’s raw production while in the NCAA is quite frankly staggering–the process by which they are accumulated often matter as much as the total themselves.</p><p>By all accounts, the quarterback possesses a high football IQ, able to break down film and identify trends and schemes as they develop, but his unwillingness, or inability, to deploy that knowledge during the heat and pace of games may turn out to matter more than his work in the leadup to Sundays. In a league where windows are tighter and top-level players are only marginally better than the average ones, a player’s success often depends on their ability to maximize the gifts they have rather than hoping their talent will do all the work.</p><p>For the past three years, Lawrence could rest knowing that he stood head and shoulders above whatever opponent the Tigers had that week. In the NFL, he will have no such luxury.</p><p>Trevor Lawrence may grow and find a way to maximize every opportunity a defense allows him, but we haven’t seen him do so yet.  It’s time to stop pretending he’s a finished product when in reality, he is a prospect that could very easily fail. Hopefully, the Jaguars have considered all of their options</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jaguars will be making a huge mistake by taking Trevor Lawrence in 2021 NFL Draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/LeBron-speaks-out-on-now-deleted-tweet-on-police-shooting-in-Columbus.jpeg"></figure><h1>LeBron James speaks out on now-deleted tweet on police shooting in Columbus</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T19:06:44-07:00">April 21st, 7:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T19:06:44-07:00">April 21st, 7:06pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After landing in hot waters over a classic tweet and delete gaffe on Wednesday, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James once again spoke about the shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio. It was another case of a police officer firing shots at an African-American civilian. This one happened near James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio, which further elicited a response from The King.</p><p>James <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1385013333007343619">doubled down on his earlier sentiments</a> demanding accountability, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the harrowing incident.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate -This isn’t about one officer.  it’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY</p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1385013333007343619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>LeBron James was criticized earlier for posting a photo of the law enforcement officer who shot and killed the 18-year-old Bryant. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/lebron-james/b1a9094f">four-time NBA MVP</a> wrote “YOU’RE NEXT”, a reference to the recent guilty verdict of policeman Derek Chauvin over the murder of George Floyd. However, it was later revealed that Bryant was about to stab another civilian and the officer had no choice but to fire at her. More details about the incident remain scarce at the moment, but it seems LeBron jumped the gun by coming to conclusions.</p><p>In a separate tweet, the Lakers megastar has since apologized for acting out of anger without knowing the full story first. While The King acknowledged his mistake, he stood by his demand for accountability and echoed the ongoing fight against racial injustice.</p><p>LeBron, of course, is a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. It seems he clearly did not intend to create hate with his initial tweet. But given his massive influence, a lot of people perceived it that way.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James speaks out on now-deleted tweet on police shooting in Columbus

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DAngelo-Russell-Timberwolves-Chris-Finch.jpg"></figure><h1>The reason Chris Finch is adamant in keeping D’Angelo Russell on the Timberwolves bench</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T07:25:31-07:00">April 21st, 7:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T07:27:33-07:00">April 21st, 7:27am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With a 16-43 record, D’Angelo Russell and the Minnesota Timberwolves are not going to make the playoffs this year. They’ve struggled all season long, as they’re a relatively young roster still trying to figure things out. However, they’ve won four games in their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/schedule">last 10 games</a>. Not the best, but it’s at least an improvement the team can focus on in the final stretch of the season.</p><p>Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has made some lineup changes, one of them being D’Angelo Russell coming off the bench. Russell is a solid scoring guard that plays well everywhere he’s gone. But his play hasn’t translated to wins. For that reason, Finch aims to keep Russell coming off the bench for the rest of the season, <a href="https://www.startribune.com/d-angelo-russell-s-minutes-expected-to-rise-but-he-ll-keep-coming-in-off-bench/600048303/">per the Star Tribune</a>.</p><blockquote>“In general the second unit has been really good and D-Lo has been a part of that,” Finch said. “He’s been able to create and out there with a defensive-oriented lineup that can get stops and get out and run and do things that benefit him and everyone else.”</blockquote><p>With the Timberwolves bench squad being so defensive-focused, it has allowed Russell to focus on scoring, while the other four players play lockdown defense. It’s a strategy that makes sense, as it puts D’Angelo Russell in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-dangelo-russells-nsfw-quote-of-the-year-after-big-game-vs-bulls/">situation</a> that lets him play to his strengths as the main scoring asset on the court. Finch explains his reasoning:</p><blockquote>“If you take him out of the second unit and put him in the starting unit, you have to rejig many of your rotations in general. Obviously, you don’t want to leave yourself exposed.”</blockquote><p>In the starting lineup, the Timberwolves have plenty of scoring with Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Josh Okogie. Adding Russell into that mix creates turmoil, as each player would be fighting for the rock. Even though they’re one of the worst teams in the league, the decision to have Russell come off the bench is a brilliant move made by Chris Finch. Look for Minnesota to be an improved team next year, as this young roster continues to adjust to the NBA.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The reason Chris Finch is adamant in keeping D’Angelo Russell on the Timberwolves bench

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Eagles-Jalen-Hurts-Joe-Flacco-Nick-Sirianni.jpg"></figure><h1>Eagles make shocking Jalen Hurts decision</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-04-21T09:31:11-07:00">April 21st, 9:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-04-21T09:31:42-07:00">April 21st, 9:31am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia Eagles are in a bit of turmoil at the moment. Since winning the Super Bowl back in 2018, the franchise has nearly dropped off the face of the earth. They’ve traded away Carson Wentz, making room for Jalen Hurts to grow and prosper.</p><p>However, <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1384895336829923339">according to Adam Schefter</a>, Nick Sirianni is not willing to name Hurts as the starting quarterback as of yet. A decision that typically makes sense, as most clubs welcome competition to ensure they have the best players moving forward. For Hurts though, he was drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft, and it’s been speculated he’s the clear-cut starting quarterback moving forward.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eagles’ HC Nick Sirianni declined today to name Jalen Hurts his starting QB and instead said it will be an open competition.</p><p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1384895336829923339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It raises concern for Eagles fans, as Sirianni’s take has generated speculation that Philadelphia might select another quarterback early in the upcoming draft. despite signing Joe Flacco in the offseason as well. Luckily, not too long after this report, <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1384898805045338115">Adam Schefter provided</a> some context to Sirianni’s words.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Clarification: Nick Sirianni said he won’t name a starter at any position because he’s only had two days of virtual meetings – and therefore he is looking at competition at every position. <a href="https://t.co/buVnU8pNIx" target="_blank">https://t.co/buVnU8pNIx</a></p><p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1384898805045338115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Now it all makes sense. Sirianni was named the head coach of the Eagles back in January. He hasn’t had much time to spend <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/roster">with anyone on the team</a>, especially with COVID-19 protocols still prevalent. According to Sirianni, there will be a position battle for each spot on the roster.</p><p>For a new head coach for a new team, this approach makes complete and total sense. Only being able to meet a handful of players on the roster through a virtual meeting just isn’t enough for a coach to evaluate his team.</p><p>With this recent news, it’s no wonder the Eagles have been trading back to acquire as much draft capital as possible for the future. Philadelphia is likely going to cast a wide net in the upcoming draft, as Sirianni will be searching for players to fit his scheme.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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