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NBA Playoffs: First Round Best Bets, Odds and Predictions

Rotoworld Experts make their picks for every series in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs.

Now is last chance to bet OKC to win West

April 17, 2026 11:17 AM

Drew Dinsick explains why now is the last chance for bettors to take advantage of reasonable odds on the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the Western Conference and appear in back-to-back NBA Finals.

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Now is last chance to bet OKC to win West

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Sonny Gray

BOS Starting Pitcher #54

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Sonny Gray had to leave Monday’s game against the Tigers with an apparent lower-body injury.

Sonny Gray labored a bit through the third inning, and then, after walking Gleyber Torres with two outs, Gray seemed to try to stretch out his calf or hamstring. He threw one pitch with the trainers watching, yelled in anger, and then begrudingly gave the ball to manager Alex Cora. There is no word yet on the severity of the injury, and it could just be cramps, but Payton Tolle is on the same pitching schedule as Gray, so he would be the obvious replacement if Gray had to miss any time.
Cade Povich

BAL Starting Pitcher #37

Cade Povich allowed one run on three hits in five innings while striking out 10 and walking two for Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday.

Since being sent back to Triple-A on April 13th, Povich has allowed two runs on eight hits in 11 2/3 innings while striking out 15 and walking two. Baltimore’s starting pitchers rank 22nd in baseball in ERA and 21st in strikeout rate, so they may opt to make a change if this continues into May.
Cooper Ingle

CLE Catcher #70

Guardians C prospect Cooper Ingle went 3-for-4 with a walk, two home runs, four RBI, and three runs scored for Triple-A Columbus on Sunday.

Ingle, who’s 24 years old, has now safely reached base in all 13 games he’s played this year while slashing .357/.617/.786. He has four home runs and 12 RBI on the season with an absurd 9/18 K/BB ratio. With Bo Naylor slashing .156/.224/.244 in 49 plate appearances and playing league-average defense, you have to wonder if the Guardians would consider making a change at some point.
Spencer Torkelson

DET 1st Baseman #20

Spencer Torkelson is not in the starting lineup on Monday against the Red Sox.

Torkelson is hitting just .182/.333/.227 in 81 plate appearances this season. It’s nice that he’s walking more, and that’s clearly part of his plan since his overall swing rate has dropped eight percent; however, Torkelson is also taking far more called strikes, and his strikeout rate is actually up from last season. His hard-hit rate is still in line with what he produced last year, and his swinging strike rate is better, so the first baseman may need to simply tweak his approach to stop being as passive as he has been. Colt Keith will play first base and hit third on Monday with Hao-Yu Lee at third base and batting eighth.
Michael Harris II

ATL Center Fielder #23

Michael Harris II went 3-for-3 with a homer, a walk and two runs scored to lead the Braves past the Phillies 4-2 on Sunday Night Baseball.

Harris has been hitting the ball hard since day one this season, but he wasn’t getting results before his trip to the paternity list on Apr. 11. Since returning Monday, he’s 8-for-18 with two homers and three walks, pushing up to .290/.338/.478 for the season. Statcast thinks he should be slugging up over .600, given his career-best exit velocity numbers. His hard-hit rate is 54 percent.
Raisel Iglesias

ATL Relief Pitcher #26

Raisel Iglesias, who was unavailable Saturday after sleeping wrong on his shoulder, pitched a scoreless ninth for a save Sunday against the Phillies.

Iglesias’s velocity was down a little, but it improved over the course of his inning; his two fastballs to Bryson Stott leading off the frame were 91.6 and 91.5 mph, while his two to Kyle Schwarber, who flew out with two out and two on, were 93.5 and 94.0 mph. It seems like he’ll be fine, but it’ll be interesting to see if he’s used on Monday. Robert Suarez, who saved Saturday’s game in Iglesias’s place before throwing a scoreless eighth tonight, would be pitching for a third straight day if he goes then.
Dillon Dingler

DET Catcher #13

Dillon Dingler went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer and an RBI double as the Tigers topped the Red Sox 6-2 on Sunday.

Dingler was already on the short list of 2026’s best hitters in terms of xwOBA a week ago, and now his actual numbers are catching up. With three homers in six games, he’s hitting .302/.380/.603 for the year. He has as many barrels as strikeouts this year, amassing 12 of each through 73 plate appearances.
Garrett Crochet

BOS Starting Pitcher #35

Garrett Crochet was tagged for five runs in five innings by the Tigers in another loss Sunday.

It’s not good, but this isn’t nearly the same sort of disaster as his previous start against the Twins. Crochet looked fine for four innings today and then struck out the first two batters of the fifth before a homer, a walk, a single and another homer. Crochet’s velocity was back to his season norm today, even though it was a cold and rainy afternoon in Boston, and he struck out eight. It was just a standard off day, as opposed to whatever the heck it was that happened when he gave up 11 runs in 1 2/3 innings six days ago.
Ryan Weathers

NYY Starting Pitcher #40

Ryan Weathers fanned eight in 7 1/3 innings and combined with Angel Chivilli on a shutout as the Yankees blanked the Royals 7-0 on Sunday.

Weathers’ velocity was down on a a rainy, 42-degree day at Yankee Stadium, but the Royals still had no fun trying to hit him. Weathers had 14 whiffs on 43 swings, and the slider that he’s barely used this year finished off three strikeouts and had a 55 percent CSW on the 20 times he threw it. The win is Weathers’ first with the Yankees. He has a 3.18 ERA and a 36/8 K/BB in 28 1/3 innings over five starts. He’ll face the Astros on Saturday.
Cole Ragans

KC Starting Pitcher #55

Cole Ragans walked eight while allowing seven runs in 4 1/3 innings Sunday in a loss to the Yankees.

He’s the first pitcher to walk eight in a game since James Paxton on Apr. 14, 2024. Considering that he gave up three homers in addition to all of those walks, this really could have been even worse. Ragans’ velocity was down just a tad today, but that should have been expected on a 42-degree day. There were no good quotes from him or the manager after the game on what they think went wrong. It’s worth wondering if his thumb might be causing issues after he took a comebacker off it and left his Apr. 8 outing. We wouldn’t panic just yet, but it’s been ugly so far. He’ll take an 0-4 record and a 6.00 ERA into his next start against the Angels.

MUST-SEE CLIPS

Debating who will be the second cornerback drafted

April 16, 2026 11:53 AM

With the NFL Draft around the corner, Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick debate best bets for which cornerback will be second off the board next week in Pittsburgh.

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