Vegas Golden Knights forward Victor Olofsson will rejoin the lineup in place of Pavel Dorofeyev, who suffered an injury in Game 5.
Olofsson played the first three games of the series before he was taken out of the lineup for veteran Tanner Pearson. In three games, Olofsson failed to record a point and mustered just three shots on goal.
Although the first three games of his NHL playoffs career haven't gone as he would have liked, he possesses a threat every shift due to his lethal shot. So much so that despite serving as a healthy scratch for the previous two games, he'll step right onto the top power play unit where Dorofeyev was playing.
Cassidy did not have any updates on Dorofeyev yesterday, mentioning that the team did not skate and he would find out more soon. The unfortunate information he did find out is that Dorofeyev, the team's leading goal scorer, cannot play Game 6.
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The opening month of the minor league season is officially in the books and the next wave of potential future fantasy superstars is starting to take shape with a trio of shortstop prospects — Leo De Vries, Jesús Made and Konnor Griffin — making headlines in the lower minors. There’s going to be plenty of time to chronicle their exploits in Rotoworld’s electronic pages in the coming months. However, this weeks’ column focuses on a handful of hitting prospects that are poised to make significant jumps in our next dynasty rankings update including Bryce Rainer, Eduardo Tait, C.J. Kayfus, Arjun Nimmala and Slade Caldwell.
Bryce Rainer, SS, Tigers
Rainer has been overshadowed by early-season exploits from De Vries, Made and Griffin in the lower minors, but he’s putting together an extremely impressive professional debut, even if the raw surface stats don’t exactly leap off the page. The 19-year-old was selected 11th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and is hitting .205/.340/.410 with two homers and a pair of steals through 12 games for Low-A Lakeland. There’s reason for optimism if we take a deeper look under the hood. According to Baseball America’s Eli Ben-Porat, Rainer has displayed an impressive blend of elite exit velocity, including a 114-mph batted ball during spring training, and better than anticipated swing decisions and contact skills. He's a below-average runner, and the hit tool questions are going to persist, but it’s easy to project him as Detroit’s long-term answer at shortstop with the ability to make an impact for fantasy purposes as a power-oriented contributor. He’s going to be one of the biggest risers in the dynasty landscape by the time midseason updates come around.
Bryce Rainer goes deep for his second homer -- and fourth XBH -- in his past three games!
Here’s an oversimplification: Catchers are weird from a developmental standpoint. There are so many variables to consider when rostering backstops in dynasty formats, but Tait is making some waves in the lower minors with an astonishing six round-trippers through 18 games at Low-A Clearwater, which is tied with Blue Jays shortstop Arjun Nimmala (we’ll get to him in a moment) for the most in the entire minors among players in their age-19 season or younger. There’s absolutely some work to be done from a swing decision standpoint since he’s still striking out 20 percent of the time in the lowest rung of full-season ball. However, it’s an extremely encouraging sign that he’s starting to get to his massive raw power more frequently in games. Per Baseball America, Tait recorded a stellar 103 mph 90th percentile average exit velocity last year in a 28-game cameo at Low-A after demolishing the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. He’s extremely far from the big leagues, but the 18-year-old prodigy is positioning himself as one of the better fantasy prospects at the position for dynasty purposes.
Eduardo Tait and first-inning homers go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Kayfus didn’t waste any time following a promotion to the doorstep of the majors earlier this week, going 2-for-5 with a solo homer on Wednesday night in his first contest for Triple-A Columbus. The 23-year-old left-handed slugger compiled a robust .364/.475/.591 triple-slash line with nine extra-base hits over 18 games at Double-A Akron to earn a lightning-quick call to Triple-A. The 23-year-old first baseman was a third-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and is starting to display more pull-side power than he did over the last couple year after putting in some extensive offseason work on his body.
“He put a lot of time in this offseason on the physical side,” Guardians vice president of player development Stephen Osterer told MLB.com last week. “I think we saw that transfer into some of his movements in his swing, and then the idea is to continue to impact the ball, and he's already done that. We're seeing a really locked in version of him, in a great physical spot, and obviously off to a hot start.”
The early-season results are further evidence that the offseason work to add additional thump is paying dividends for Kayfus, who could potentially arrive in Cleveland at some point later this year. He’s put himself in the top-20 range at first base for dynasty purposes and has the potential to rise even higher if he continues adding over-the-fence power.
It’s not a knock on Nimmala at all that he’s a notch below the Walcott, De Vries, Made and Griffin quartet from a pure upside standpoint for dynasty purposes. The 19-year-old phenom, who was selected 20th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, went deep in three straight games last week and is up to five round-trippers in 20 games for High-A Vancouver, which is tied with Phillies backstop Eduardo Tait for the most of any player in the minors their age-19 campaign or younger. He recorded his second three-hit performance of the season on Wednesday and is batting .294/.362/.541 with 11 extra-base hits through 20 games. The fact that he’s cutting back on the strikeouts is an extremely encouraging development after whiffing roughly 30 percent of the time last year at the same level. He projects as a power-oriented shortstop, which gives him a chance to make a serious fantasy impact down the road, especially if he continues to add strength as he matures physically.
Arjun Nimmala rips an RBI double, giving him 7 multihit contests for the High-A @vancanadians this year
The Diamondbacks have quietly been one of, if not the best, offenses in baseball over the past two seasons and they have some help coming on the horizon with Jordan Lawlar, Demetrio Crisantes, Ryan Waldschmidt and LuJames Groover looking like impactful hitters. The 29th pick from the 2024 MLB Draft, Caldwell looks like the real X-factor in Arizona’s system, hitting .308/.511/.554 with 11 extra-base hits and four steals through 20 games for Low-A Visalia. The 18-year-old outfielder is a bit on the shorter side but still manages to hit for a decent amount of power to the pull side thanks to an extremely quick and compact swing. He's an above-average runner, which is going to translate to lofty stolen base totals, and he has a chance to be a legitimate five-category impact fantasy contributor down the road. There aren’t really any holes in his game if he’s going to continue barreling everything once he reaches the upper minors. He’s not flashy, but he’s the type of prospect that could make a significant fantasy impact down the road.
Slade Caldwell, the No. 29 pick in the 2024 Draft (@Dbacks), rips a leadoff homer for the Single-A @VisaliaRawhide!
At just 18, Arizona's third-ranked prospect leads the California League with a .506 OBP. pic.twitter.com/B8XhM4AgIk
The Florida Panthers are into the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Brad Marchand is one of the main reasons why.
That might be a weird sentence for Boston Bruins fans to read, but it’s true.
The Panthers eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the first round on Wednesday night with a 6-3 win at Amalie Arena.
Marchand picked up two assists in the victory, giving him four points (four assists) for the series. Florida outscored Tampa Bay 6-2 during Marchand’s 5-on-5 ice time through five games.
He’s giving the Panthers scoring depth, playmaking, toughness, penalty killing and even more playoff experience. Marchand is also teaming up with Matthew Tkachuk to chirp opposing players, which is quite a sight.
Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, and Sam Bennett were all chirping the Lightning bench at the end of Game 2.
The rivalry between the Panthers and Bruins is still a heated one, but Florida’s success this spring does impact Boston in a meaningful way.
When the Bruins traded Marchand to the Panthers, they got a conditional 2027 second-round pick in return. If the Panthers reach the Eastern Conference Final and Marchand plays in at least 50 percent of their playoff games, that second-rounder owed to Boston would become a 2027 first-round pick. The Boston Herald’s Steve Conroy has reported that 2027 first-rounder would be top-10 protected, so if the pick does fall in the top 10, it would convey as an unprotected 2028 first-round pick.
In case you were wondering, if the Panthers win the next round and Marchand has played 50% of the playoff games, the B’s get the 2027 first rounder, unless it’s a top 10 pick. If so, it slides to 2028
Right now, the chances of the Panthers reaching the conference final and Marchand playing in half (or more) of the games look pretty good. The Panthers will be favored in their Round 2 series, whether it’s against the Toronto Maple Leafs or Ottawa Senators. That means there’s a good chance of Boston landing either a 2027 or 2028 first-round pick from Florida (likely the former).
The Panthers are the best team left in the playoffs thanks to their combination of high-end skill, toughness, experience and quality goaltending. Injuries might be the only factor that could derail this team.
LOS ANGELES — When a player is coming off an All-NBA level season where he averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds a game, plus he has a player option to make $52.6 million next season, retirement usually is not a question on the table.
"I don't know. I don't have an answer to that," James said. "Something I'll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and just kind of talk through it and see what happens. Just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play.
"I don't know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So, we'll see."
The expectation in league circles is LeBron will return. He was energized this season, both playing with his son, Bronny, and after the Luka Doncic trade. He is still playing at a high level, and most importantly, this is a Lakers team that is just a few moves away from competing for a title (getting a rim-protecting center is at the top of the list). LeBron has been clear for years that his top priority is another championship for his resume, and this Lakers team should enter next season with legitimate title aspirations.
There is also an expectation that LeBron will opt out of his $52.6 million for next season — the second year of a two-year, $101.4 million contract signed last summer — to sign another two-year extension with the Lakers. He also has a no-trade clause (although it is unlikely to come into play).
"This is a business, too," LeBron added. "So you don't know what the roster will look like next year besides the guys that are locked into contracts. I mean, s***, I got a lot to think about myself. I don't know what the roster will look like. I don't know where I stand right now."
It's a lot for a player of LeBron's age to get his body ready to compete at this level and the point will come where he doesn't want to put in that much work anymore. Right now, LeBron appears willing to put in the work.
There will be roster changes, the Lakers are going to go hunting for a center who can protect the paint on defense and be a vertical floor spacer on offense (think of how Dereck Lively II fit next to Doncic in Dallas). LeBron wasn't going to publicly push for the Lakers to go get a big after being dismantled by Rudy Gobert in Game 5, and in doing so had the line of the night.
"No comment. I'll never say that," LeBron said of Los Angeles needing a center. "Because my guy AD said what he needed and then he was gone the following week, so I got no comment."
LeBron is going to take his time to think about this, but don't be surprised when he is back next season. Although, also don't be surprised if next season, his 23rd, is his farewell tour.
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds optioned struggling closer Alexis Diaz to Triple-A hoping he can regain the form that helped him earn 37 saves and an NL All-Star appearance in 2023.
“We decided to let him try to figure out, get right in Triple-A,” manager Terry Francona said. “The consistency just isn’t there. It’s difficult to hear that, I’m sure. We don’t want that to derail him either.”
Diaz has more home runs (four) and walks (five) allowed than strikeouts (three) in six innings pitched since coming off the injured list on April 15.
His earned run average ballooned to 12.00 after he gave up three consecutive home runs in the ninth inning of a 6-0 loss to the Cardinals in the first game of a doubleheader.
Diaz began the season on the 15-day IL with a left hamstring strain. He had 28 saves last season, but also walked 31 and allowed six homers in 56 1/3 innings.
“We told him, ‘Hey, we’re not giving up on you. Just want you to be more consistent,’” Francona said. “We need him to help us win.”
The Reds recalled hard-throwing rookie right-hander Luis Mey from Triple-A.
With Diaz on the IL, Emilio Pagán assumed the closer role. He’s tied for fourth in the NL with eight saves. His 11 perfect relief outings are the most for a Reds reliever through 15 appearances since John Franco in 1987.
Jeffery Springs pitched six innings of nearly flawless baseball, and the Athletics scored in the top of the first inning to beat the Texas Rangers on Thursday at Globe Life Field.
The veteran lefty had struggled with his control in his previous two outings, both blowout losses, but had his stuff working against the Rangers. Springs didn’t overwhelm the Texas lineup but kept them from getting on base for most of the game, allowing only two hits and one walk.
“He came out establishing his fastball, which was a conversation we’ve had over the last five days,” manager Mark Kotsay told reporters after the game. “He went out and pitched with that aggression, which is a good sign. Any time you challenge yourself… today was a challenge, and he stepped up.”
With the Athletics racing to the lead on a first-inning RBI single by Miguel Andújar, Springs had to protect the lead as he took the mound, and he did just that by forcing Texas into a 1-2-3 inning.
The 32-year-old struggled in the early innings in his previous two starts, giving up a combined nine runs.
Kotsay credited Springs’ change in mindset, which allowed him to brush off the previous two starts and focus on getting through the early innings without allowing any runs.
“Yes, his struggles have been in the first two innings, but after that he seemed to settle in and pitch pretty well,” Kotsay said. “But that was obviously after giving up runs. So, the goal was to get him out there and challenge him to get that zero. It’s not always easy when you have those struggles to maintain your confidence, and I wanted to make sure that [he knew] that we hadn’t lost confidence in him and give him that opportunity.”
The win bumped the Athletics to a 17-15 record, just two games back of the Seattle Mariners in the American League West. Springs’ solid outing is a blueprint for the team moving forward: timely hitting and lockdown pitching.
Now, the Athletics head to Miami to face the Marlins for a three-game set, looking to build on their positive momentum of winning their last three series.
It’s Thursday, May 1, and the New York Knicks (51-31) and Detroit Pistons (44-38) are all set to square off from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Detroit stole Game 5 in New York, 106-103, now the Pistons will have to defend home court in order to extend the series to a Game 7 at MSG.
The Knicks are currently 24-17 on the road with a point differential of 4, while the Pistons have a 5-5 record in their last ten games at home.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Knicks vs. Pistons live today
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM EST
Site: Little Caesars Arena
City: Detroit, MI
Network/Streaming: TNT / TruTV / Max
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Game odds for Knicks vs. Pistons
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Odds: Knicks (+113), Pistons (-134)
Spread: Pistons -2
Over/Under: 213 points
That gives the Knicks an implied team point total of 106.03, and the Pistons 107.07.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Thursday’s Knicks vs. Pistons game
Rotoworld Best Bet Vaughn Dalzell @Vmoneysports likes the game Under and Brunson’s points prop:
"While I lean New York to win this game, this will be a dogfight. I think the Under will be the best between these two teams with Jalen Brunson showing out. Brunson is coming off his worst game of the playoffs with 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting. That was his only game under 30 points in the playoffs, so I will go Over 28.5 points for Brunson in a closeout game."
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Knicks & Pistons game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the New York Knicks at +2.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 213.
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Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Knicks vs. Pistons on Thursday
The Knicks have won 5 of their last 7 road games, while the Pistons have lost 5 in 6 at home
The Total went over in 52% of the Knicks' regular season games (43-39-0)
The Pistons are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite
The Knicks have won 4 of their last 5 at Eastern Conference teams
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- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) - Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) - Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) - Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
The talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs has shifted greatly from their first three games against the Ottawa Senators to the last two.
The Maple Leafs were on the verge of sweeping the Senators after the first three games of their first-round playoff series. While the Senators probably deserved to win at least one of those first three games, the competitive pendulum swung the other way in Games 4 and 5. The Maple Leafs probably deserved to win one of those two games, only to lose both of them as Ottawa clawed its way back to respectability.
What we’ve wound up with is a series that is considerably closer than people who were talking about a sweep had figured on. The truth is, predicting the Maple Leafs would be in a Game 6 situation versus the Senators is not surprising.
If things played out slightly differently, and it was a straight-ahead back-and-forth, we-punch-you, you-punch-back situation from game to game, alarmist Leafs fans might not be as up in arms as they are at the moment.
“We expected it to be challenging,” Leafs blueliner Morgan Rielly told reporters on Wednesday. “No one expected it to be easy. So, again, we're up in a series, and we're in a position where we have a chance to regroup and refocus and go out there and play some good hockey.”
Indeed, we picked Toronto to win this series, but we picked the Buds to win in six games. It doesn’t make a difference exactly how we arrived at this moment – the truth is, the Senators were never going to roll over and be embarrassed en route to a sweep. Ottawa is a well-coached, dynamic and talented group, and so are the Maple Leafs. Nothing we’ve seen through five games has changed our mind in that regard.
“We’re up 3-2 in the series, so we’re fine,” Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev told reporters after Tuesday’s Game 5 loss. “We’re going to prepare for our game Thursday, and we’ll make the adjustments that we need to.”
We’re still confident the Maple Leafs can pull this one out with a Game 6 win in Ottawa, if not then, then in Game 7. The Leafs have already shown they can win at home and on the road, and they’ve been a resilient bunch throughout the regular season and thus far in the post-season.
Of course, we completely understand why Leafs fans would be swimming in anxiety right now. The history with this collection of talent does not lend itself to optimism at crossroads moments like these. Until Toronto proves it can close out opponents, there’s going to be significant doubt among Leafs Nation that it can do so.
But you know what? Sometimes teams do take that next step in their evolution. Sometimes teams can shake off the demons of the past. That’s where we see the Leafs right now. Beating the Sens is certainly not going to be easy. However, Toronto management and coaching have prepared Leafs players for this challenge.
The Leafs know the ramifications that await them if they can’t get the job done. A complete collapse could trigger massive changes from top to bottom in the organization. That pressure may well choke them out, but it’s equally likely that it motivates them to prove their doubters wrong. And so, if Toronto wins in six or seven games, no one should be surprised.
Sometimes the pundits do get things right, and the way things are shaping up in this emotional and rollercoaster series, the Leafs are in the position many of us thought they’d be in. That’s what makes this particular series so compelling. Toronto and Ottawa are worthy rivals for one another, and the rest of this showdown promises to be high drama.
As a result, the Mets have had to mix and match a bit in the pen, calling up and sending down optionable players to keep fresh arms available. On Thursday, the Mets called up Ty Adcock and Genesis Cabrera, optioning Chris Devenski and Brandon Waddell to Triple-A Syracuse.
To this point, however, the Mets have yet to call up right-hander Dedniel Núñez, who was one of the club’s better relievers in 2024 before a pronator strain and then a flexor injury ended his season.
That could be changing soon, though, according to Carlos Mendoza.
“He’ll continue to be in the conversation, but we want to make sure that when he does come up, we’re keeping him for a long time, for as long as possible,” the Mets skipper explained. “There could potentially be a couple of other moves in the next couple of days. But he's definitely in the conversation and I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing him shortly here."
Núñez, 28, came seemingly out of the nowhere to become one of the Mets’ high-leverage relievers in 2024, posting a 2.31 ERA with 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings during his 35.0 innings of work. But his season ended in earnest on July 23, as he landed on the IL with the pronator strain. He came back to pitch one game in late August, but that would be all for Núñez in 2024.
Though he came into spring training as a healthy player, according to the Mets, Núñez pitched in just two Grapefruit League games and ran out of time to get ramped up enough to make the Opening Day roster.
In nine games with Triple-A Syracuse, Núñez has pitched to a 4.00 ERA, allowing four earned runs in 9.0 innings.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic leaves the court after a season-ending loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
JJ Redick was about to coach his first game in the NBA, a step into a new life that he was sure he wanted for himself. He was no longer the hotshot Duke star, the aimless former lottery pick, the reliable NBA starter, the trusted vet or famous podcaster.
This was something different.
“You know, I think whatever I envisioned in my previous life, that's gone,” Redick said. “This is who I am now. I'm a coach.”
And as the Lakers coach, he wanted to make one thing more than any other clear. Results would be secondary. Development would be first. A shooter can’t control whether or not an open jumper goes in; they only can control the amount of work they’ve put into giving that shot the best possible chance to go in.
And after his first NBA win, Redick reinforced that idea.
“They’re bought into the fact that this is a process and we’re not going to compete for a championship right now,” Redick said opening night. “We have buy-in from our players, we have buy-in from our coaching staff. That’s all we want right now.”
The Lakers did buy in, even when the season came to a pause due to a historic natural disaster, even when the main characters changed due to a historic superstar swap. They witnessed history when their leader fulfilled a dream to play with his son, they reshaped their culture with one trade and pulled the emergency brake to get out of another. A homegrown star rose; the NBA’s all-time leading scorer moved one step closer to his last basket.
All through it, the big wins, the crushing losses, the high-end drama and the 48 minutes of mundane, the Lakers followed Redick's lead.
But they didn’t compete for a championship — not at this step in their process. Their season ended, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, 15 wins away from the championship they hoped to claim.
And, as soon as the mourning ends, the work erecting the bridge from one win to 16 of them can begin.
For the first time since the Lakers last ended their season as champions, the building process won’t be centered on LeBron James. They’ll have a summer to put the right pieces around a new focal point in Luka Doncic, the 26-year-old future of the franchise.
That search is expected to start in the middle, where the Lakers will look to add a center to pair with one of the NBA’s top passers. The Lakers already tipped their hand on this midseason when they followed up the Doncic deal by agreeing to trade a first-round pick and Dalton Knecht to Charlotte for Mark Williams.
But the Lakers didn’t pass Williams’ physical with the team, people with knowledge of the decision but not authorized to speak publicly pointing to knee and lower leg concerns as the reasons. Some people around the NBA simply wondered if the Lakers got cold feet. Others questioned the fit in the first place.
Regardless, the Lakers are expected to go on the hunt to upgrade the position, and again, will have their 2031 first-round pick and Knecht as the carrots to try and land one. A name like Brooklyn center Nicolas Claxton will certainly be linked to the Lakers.
Dorian Finney-Smith, about to be 32, has become a favorite in the locker room. He has a player option for $15.3 million and could be looking for his last significant long-term deal.
Doncic and the Lakers will likely have extension conversations with him being eligible for one in August. Austin Reaves is also eligible for an extension that could be worth up to $90 million over four years, but Reaves is expected to garner significant interest for much more money when he can become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
And there’s James, who can opt out of the last year of his contract to restructure his deal. And, obviously, at this stage of his career, retirement gets closer with every day, with only James knowing for sure where that road ends.
Its Thursday, May 1 and the Rockies (5-25) are in San Francisco to take on the Giants (19-12). Kyle Freeland is slated to take the mound for Colorado against Justin Verlander for San Francisco.
Last night, the Rockies beat the Braves 2-1, ending an eight game losing streak.
Chase Dollander picked up the win for the Rockies. He pitched 5.0 innings, and gave up just one run on two hits, while striking out four batters.
The Giants should be happy with a matchup against the struggling Rockies after coming from back-to-back losses to the Padres.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Rockies at Giants
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Time: 9:45PM EST
Site: Oracle Park
City: San Francisco, CA
Network/Streaming: NBCS BA, Rockies.TV
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Odds for the Rockies at the Giants
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Moneyline: Rockies (+195), Giants (-236)
Spread: Giants -1.5
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Rockies at Giants
Pitching matchup for May 1, 2025: Kyle Freeland vs. Justin Verlander
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Rockies at Giants
The Giants have won 8 of their last 10 games against teams with losing records
The Over is 4-0-1 in the Giants' last 5 divisional matchups
It has been 6 games since the Giants last covered the Run Line
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Rockies and the Giants
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday's game between the Rockies and the Giants:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Francisco Giants on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Colorado Rockies at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
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The Giants received unfortunate injury news just before attempting a much-needed series win against the Colorado Rockies.
Tyler Fitzgerald was placed on the 10-day IL with a left rib fracture, the team announced Thursday afternoon. Brett Wisely was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.
Tyler Fitzgerald went on the IL with a rib fracture, Brett Wisely is up. Probably a lot of time coming at second base for Christian Koss.
Fitzgerald missed the final two of three games against the Texas Rangers last weekend as he dealt with a chest contusion. He returned to the lineup in San Francisco’s previous two games against the Padres on Tuesday and Wednesday, in which the Giants got swept in San Diego.
The 27-year-old went 1-for-5 in the two-game set against the Padres, but he is slashing .284/.341/.432 with two home runs and seven RBI through 25 games this season.
In 27 games with the River Cats this season, Wisely is batting .235 with a .756 OPS and five home runs.
It's Thursday, May 1 and the Athletics (16-15) are in Arlington to take on the Rangers (16-15). Jeffrey Springs is slated to take the mound for the A's against Tyler Mahle for Texas.
The Athletics won 7-1 yesterday to take a 2-1 series lead with a chance to win the series today. This series has seen a little bit of everything with scores of 2-1, 15-2, and 7-1.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Athletics at Rangers
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Time: 2:35 PM EST
Site: Globe Life Field
City: Arlington, TX
Network/Streaming: NBCSCA, RSN
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Odds for the Athletics at the Rangers
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Moneyline: Athletics (+134), Rangers (-159)
Spread: Rangers -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Athletics at Rangers
Pitching matchup for May 1, 2025: Jeffrey Springs vs. Tyler Mahle
Athletics: Jeffrey Springs, (3-3, 6.04 ERA) Last outing: 6.0 Innings Pitched, 5 Earned Runs Allowed, 7 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Athletics and the Rangers
Rotoworld Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Athletics ML:
"The A's have a chance to win the series today and are decent underdogs of +130 or better at most places. Springs is coming off his worst start, and with a chance for the Rangers to split the series, most of the money and handle will come in on Texas.
The Rangers have lost Mahle's last two starts and scored two total runs in those games. Mahle himself had five strikeouts, four walks, and 10 hits allowed (two earned runs). The A's are pesky and could win the series, so I'd take the plus-money dog or the +1.5."
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s game between the Athletics and the Rangers:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Texas Rangers on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Oakland Athletics at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Athletics at Rangers
The Athletics have lost eight of their 15 games following a win this season
The total runs line has ticked over in just one of the Rangers' last five matches in MLB
The Rangers have covered the run line in four of their last five games, showing a profit of 1.64 units
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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