My 10* Las Vegas Insider is on the Tor Blue Jays at 9:38 ET.

The Blue Jays missed a wild card spot by ONE game in 2021 but were a 'sexy' preseason pick to best the Rays, Red Sox and Yankees in the brutally tough AL East in 2022. The Angels are coming off a 77-85 season and the franchise's only World Series title came back in 2002. I'm sure it seems like even more than two decades ago to Angel fans, as the team has missed the postseason 11 times in the last 12 years (got swept 3-0 in a 2014 ALDS in its lone appearance in that span). The Jays opened a four-game series last night in Anaheim against the Angels but while Toronto was just 23-20, 7 1/2-games behind the NY Yankees in the AL East, the Angels checked in at 27-18, just TWO games behind the Astros in the AL West.

However, Toronto won 6-3 on Thursday by reaching Ohtani for five runs in six innings, while Ryu gave the Jays five solid innings (two ERs allowed). The series continues Friday, and the Jays will own a HUGE edge in the starting pitcher matchup. Alek Manoah (5-1, 1.62 ERA) goes for Toronto, while Los Angeles send Chase Silseth (1-1, 2.61 ERA) to the mound, who will be making the third start of his career since being called up from Double-A back on May 13. Manoah was 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA in 20 starts as a rookie in 2021 and then opened 2022 by going 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA. He took the mound against the Yankees back on May 3, with the Blue Jays having won 20 of his first 24 major league starts. He went winless over his next three starts (he was 0-1 and the team was 0-3) but Manoah's ERA during that 'slump' was 2.18! He got back in the win column in his last outing, with a 3-1 win over the Reds (8 IP / 1 ER) on May 21.

Both of Silseth's first two starts have come against the struggling A's, earning a 2-0 win with six scoreless innings (allowed just ONE hit) on May 13 but then losing 4-2 on May 20, allowing three ERs on six hits (two HRs) over 4.1 innings. The Angels have played better than the Blue Jays in the early going of 2022 but I think MOST will agree that Toronto's a better team and that Manoah owns a HUGE edge on the mound tonight. Great price on Toronto.

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Division Dominator is on the NY Mets at 7:10 ET. This side play is "action" (see below).

The Philadelphia Phillies opened the season having failed to make the playoffs in each of the last 10 years, the second-longest active streak in MLB. The New York Mets contended in the NL East for most of the season but went 22-38 down the stretch to finish in third place at 77-85, 11 1/2 games out of first place. The Mets made the 2015 World Series (lost 4-1 to KC) and made a one-game wild card appearance in 2016, but they've been playoff-less the last five years. The NL East rivals open a three-game series Friday at Citi Field with New York leading the division with a 29-17 record, 7 1/2-games better than the 21-24 Phillies and Braves.

Philadelphia beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 Thursday to earn a split of that four-game series, while the Mets were off Thursday, after being routed by the host San Francisco Giants 9-3 in the rubber game of a three-game series on Wednesday afternoon. The Mets aren't used to losing a series in 2022, as the series loss to the Giants was just the second of the season for the Mets, who have won 11 series and split another in 14 tries. Philly hasn't been over .500 since the team had a 3-2 record back on April 12. The Phillies have reached .500 a number of times, the most recent being when they were 17-17 in games played through May 14, but they've gone 4-7 since that time.

Tonight's starting pitchers are Bailey Falter (0-1, 3.75 ERA) for Philly and Carlos Carrasco (4-1, 3.50 ERA) for the Mets. Falter made his first major league start of the season on May 11, when he gave up one run in 4.2 innings during a no-decision against the Seattle Mariners (Phillies won 5-2). However, his four other outings this year, and 21 of his 22 appearances last year, have come in relief. There was talk about Eflin starting and that's why I'm making this side play "action." Carrasco earned a win on Saturday when he gave up one run over 5.1 innings as the Mets beat the Colorado Rockies 5-1 in the opener of a doubleheader

The Mets are counting on Carrasco this season and he has pitched well in May, posting a 2.59 ERA in four starts. He has had limited appearances against the Phillies, going 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in three career games (one start). The Mets are off two straight losses but haven't lost THREE in a row all season. Carrasco and the Mets are the play over Philadelphia and Falter, or whomever the Phillies decide to start.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Mia Heat at 8:30 ET.

The Miami Heat (the East's No. 1 seed) took the floor in Boston for Game 4 with a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals but return to Boston tonight for Game 6 on the brink of elimination. The Celtics routed the Heat 102-82 in Game 4 and then took a 3-2 lead in the series with another impressive win in Game 5 at Miami, 93-80. Both teams have dealt with nagging injuries but these last two games, the Mavs have gotten the worst of it plus have just simply been plain 'offensive' on that end of the court. Jimmy Butler, Miami's best player, has made just 7 of 32 shots in Games 4 and 5, totaling only 19 points. Starting guards Lowry (1 of 12) and Strus (0 of 16) have been just AWFUL in the back-to-back losses. To add insult to injury, NBA Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro (groin) has sat out the last two games with a groin injury.

Boton's been led this postseason by Tatum (26.9-6.3-6.0), Brown (23.1 & 6.9), Smart (15.0-4.2-6.5) and the surprising play of veteran center Horford (12.9 & 9.3). The Celtics have to 'LOVE' the situation that they are in, but nobody associated with the Celtics is ready to celebrate. The franchise has lost in its last FOUR visits to the Eastern Conference finals and on two of the occasions, they have let a 3-2 lead slip away. The Celtics would love to close out the Heat here, avoiding a Game 7 in Miami, as the Warriors have already clinched the West and are waiting for an opponent in the NBA Finals, which will begin June 2.

"It's an elimination game, to have it on our home court is an advantage," Boston head coach Ime Udoka said. "They beat us here already. So we have to come out with the same urgency after these last two wins and try to put it away. Miami has listed Lowry (left hamstring), Strus (right hamstring), Gabe Vincent (left hamstring) and P.J. Tucker (left knee) as questionable. That said, expect most if not all of them to play, plus Herro has been cleared to play. Then there is Jimmy Butler, who prior to the last two games, has been one of the 2022 NBA playoffs' best players. When is the last time you've seen a No. 1 seed as this kind of an underdog in the playoffs? I'm taking the points!

Good luck...Larry