Tim Michael Handicapper, Premium and Free Picks

T.M. Selection: MIL @ CHC - UNDER 

Corbin Burnes (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Marcus Stroman (0-0, 0.00 ERA) 

I am on the UNDER in the Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs game on Thursday. It's “Opening Day” and I'm expecting some early jitters from these players. It will be a cold afternoon at Wrigley and neither teams have a great lineup. The Cubs have gotten a tad better, but the Brewers still have very weak hitting. On the flip side, both pitchers are very capable, especially Burnes. Burnes was dominant last season and gave his team a chance to win every game. Expect a low scoring affair to open the season up. 

T.M. Prediction: 3-2 Brewers.  

Line: O/U 7.5, -113 

Line Parameter: play until 7 -120.. 

T.M. Selection: Carolina Hurricanes - ML 

I like the Carolina Hurricanes to win this game against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. Carolina is definitely the better team. In fact, coming off back to back losses, I love this play. However, it's slightly too expensive to give a max rating to. The Red Wings come in off a 7-4 victory against the Penguins, in a game when it was tied with five minutes to go. Even though they won that game, they haven't fared well after winning as of late as they are 0-4 in their last four. They are also a sad 0-8 in their last eight games played on just one days rest. Carolina might not be the team that they can be without Svechnikov, but they still are a very strong hockey team. Look for the Canes to completely dominate in this one. 

T.M. Prediction: 4-1 Hurricanes. 

Line: -215 

Line Parameter: play until -240..

T.M. Selection: Elena Rybakina - ML 

I like Elena Rybakina to win this match against Jessica Pegula on Thursday. Although Pegula will have the home crowd advantage here in Miami, Rybakina is playing the best tennis of her life right now. In my opinion, disregarding the rankings, Rybakina is the best women's player in the world right now. With Sabelenka having lost to Cirstea, Rybakina has got to be the favorite to win this whole tournament. Pegula is very good as well, but I'm backing the Kazakhstani in this one. 

T.M. Prediction: 6-4, 7-5 Rybakina. 

Line: -180 

Line Parameter: play until -230.. 

T.M. Selection: San Diego Padres - ML 

German Marquez (0-0 0.00 ERA) .. Blake Snell (0-0, 0.00 ERA) 

I like the San Diego Padres to win this game against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. Although this line is pretty big, I still love the Padres on Opening Day. San Diego is one of the teams that I'm monitoring to win the whole thing this year. Once Tatis comes back, they could be a real threat come playoff time. The pitching matchup also stands out in this game. Snell looked very sharp to end last season, and Marquez didn't look like anything special. I get that he played in Colorado, but with his 9-13 record, I don't see why the Padres won't pick him apart to open the season. Give me the Padres here to win the first game of 2023. 

T.M. Prediction: 8-3 Padres. 

Line: -191 

Line Parameter: play until -225.. 

T.M. Selection: Vegas Golden Knights - ML 

I like the Vegas Golden Knights to win this game against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. San Jose has been the worst team in the league over the last while. Even though they just won their last game to keep everybody honest, they are still just 2-14 over their last 16 games. Vegas is coming off a loss (I won with Edmonton,) and they got lucky as the Kings lost two. The Knights won't want to lose again with LAK right on their heels to win the Pacific Division. In their last eight meetings in San Jose, Vegas has won all of them. The Golden Knights are also perfect in their last seven games played on the road. This is a very good spot and Vegas should win this game quite easily. 

T.M. Prediction: 5-1 VGK. 

Line: -155 

Line Parameter: play until -220 (plays like a 5% until -175..)