Morning Coffee: Muncy, undefeated Dodgers set to experiment with torpedo bats

Elly De La Cruz took a torpedo bat for a spin last night.

After lighting up a cold night in Ohio with a scorching hot performance at the plate, I’m willing to wager that the Cincinnati Reds slugger is ready to go for another ride.

He isn’t the only MLB superstar to express an interest in baseball’s newest craze, either.

After experimenting with the torpedo bat for the first time in batting practice earlier in the day, De La Cruz went off with two home runs, four runs, seven RBI, and 11 total bases using the torpedo bat in last night’s 14-3 win over the Texas Rangers.

Sure, De La Cruz doesn’t need a torpedo bat to be great.

Still, his lowest exit velocity in last night’s game was 99 miles per hour, so perhaps at the very least the new bat provided De La Cruz with a little added confidence.

Meanwhile, the torpedo bat has also piqued the interest of the MLB betting community, with “Torpedo Bat Cheat Sheets” suddenly popping up on social media platforms.

Bettors are always looking for any edge they can find.

I’m fascinated by the hype.

I’m also interested in taking a close look at the data to see if all the excitement is legitimate.

With the best team in baseball reportedly interested in experimenting with the torpedo bats after a red-hot start, the other 29 teams better hope it’s all just smoke.

This is the Morning Coffee for Tuesday April 1^st, 2025.

Undefeated Dodgers Set To Experiment With Torpedo Bats

The Dodgers entered the 2025 MLB season as the biggest World Series favourite since the 2003 New York Yankees.

They’ve certainly lived up to the hype early on.

The Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 6-1 last night to improve to 6-0 for the fourth time in franchise history.

LA has covered the run line in all but one of six games.

FanDuel set the Dodgers regular season win total at 105.5 – the highest MLB win total in 35 seasons.

That number has already ticked up to 107.5.

They’re -850 to finish with the best record in baseball.

As is the reigning World Series champions didn’t look dominant enough already, several Dodgers have reportedly placed their orders for torpedo bats.

None of LA’s current players are using a torpedo bat.

Apparently, “they’re all ordering them.”

The Dodgers are +240 to win the World Series at FanDuel.

The Yankees (+850) and Braves (+859) are the only other teams in baseball shorter than 10-to-1 to win it all.

Per the FanDuel traders, 13 per cent of the bets in the World Series winner market are on the favourite to repeat.

While it’s still early, the Yankees stole the spotlight with their dominant start to the season and apparently LA is among the several teams that took notice.

The Dodgers were already considered the best team in baseball before the season started.

Then they opened the year with six straight wins.

Now, there is the prospect of some of their players gaining an edge with the addition of the torpedo bats.

Could the Dodgers challenge for the best record in MLB history this season?

Regardless of what happens, I’m excited to see the storyline play out over the course of the summer.

Bueckers Leads UCONN Women To Final Four

The Chalk Madness continued in the NCAA women’s tournament with the favourites going 2-0 on Monday to complete the sweep in the Elite Eight.

Paige Bueckers went off for 31 points in UCONN’s 78-64 win over USC.

If you bet UCONN -13.5, you were a winner.

If you bet UCONN -14.5, you got burned by the hook.

If you tailed the Morning Coffee best bet, it was never even a sweat as Bueckers reached 20 points early in the second half as the Huskies and Texas Longhorns cruised to victories.

UCONN is an 8.5-point favourite versus UCLA and the title favourite at -140 at FanDuel.

South Carolina is -4.5 versus Texas and the second choice to win the championship at +240.

Will we finally see another upset in the Final Four?

Maybe, but I’m not betting on it.

Can Flames Close The Gap On Red-Hot Blues In Wild Card Race?

The Calgary Flames pulled off the 3-2 upset win in a shootout over the Colorado Avalanche as a +215 underdog at FanDuel last night.

With the win, the Flames climbed within five points of the St. Louis Blues for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with two games in hand.

Calgary’s odds to make the playoffs were cut from +400 to +255 at FanDuel.

St. Louis went from -590 to -430 overnight.

The Wild Card race will continue to come into focus tonight.

The Flames are +146 to upset the Utah Hockey Club in their second road game in as many nights.

The Blues are a -182 home favourite against the visiting Detroit Red Wings.

St. Louis has won nine in a row to improve to 15-2-2 since the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Meanwhile in the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens will try to pull off the improbable home-and-home sweep against the Florida Panthers as a +155 underdog on home ice tonight.

With two crucial points on the line against the defending Stanley Cup champions, I can’t wait to see the electric atmosphere at the Bell Centre tonight.

The Ottawa Senators are a -200 home favourite against the visiting Buffalo Sabres.

The New York Islanders are +142 to upset the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.

While I’m cheering for as many Canadian NHL teams to make the playoffs as possible, I’m going back to the hottest team in the NHL for my FanDuel Best Bet.

A FanDuel Best Bet To Consider For Tuesday Night

I’ll lock in a Same Game Parlay with the Blues to beat the Red Wings and Zachary Bolduc to record 1+ shot on goal at -131 as a FanDuel Best Bet.

St. Louis has had a couple of days off since its upset win over Colorado.

After beating the Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, and Washington Capitals as part of their impressive hot streak since the 4 Nations Face-Off, they should be able to take care of their business against an opponent that has really struggled with consistency in the Red Wings.

When these teams met earlier in the season, the Blues cruised to a 4-0 win in Detroit.

I wouldn’t be surprised by a similar outcome in tonight’s game.

Bolduc registered five shots on goal in Saturday’s win over Colorado and has averaged a team-high 4.33 shots on goal per game over the last seven days.

While he’s skating on the third line at even-strength, he’s still seeing time on the top powerplay unit and getting a ton of shooting opportunities in all situations.

I’ll roll the dice with Bolduc and the hottest team in hockey for the FanDuel Best Bet SGP.

Have a great day, everyone!