Ralph Michaels

Ralph Michaels

Hot Streaks

WINNING MLB DAYS....NOW 8 OF 9 (89%) & 77 OF 126 (61%) PROFITABLE DAYS!

RALPH'S MLB RUN IS NOW 9-1 (90%) & 528-12 (70%)!

TOP-RATED 5% MAX PLAYS ARE NOW 17-10 (63%)

+77 UNITS SINCE JANUARY! ALL SPORTS RUN 148-106-3 (58%)!

NFL/CFB TOTALS WERE #1 LY GOING 33-19 (64%)!

ALL 4% & 5% BEST BETS 13-5 (72%) & 53-33-1 (62%)!

Last updated Aug 17, 6:40 AM EDT

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All Plays

Picks pending, please check back later
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WagerTalk Specials

Triple Play All-Access Baseball Pass – Includes 5% Best Bets – ONLY $49!

For a limited time, get every baseball play from your favorite handicapper for three full days — and any 5% Best Bets released — for just $49. That's only $16.33 per day for every premium baseball release your handicapper posts. You'll receive instant access the moment plays are released, ensuring you get the best possible number before the lines move.

Individually, these plays would cost well over $100, but the Triple Play All-Access Pass gives you three days of nonstop baseball action for less than half the price. As a bonus, if your handicapper releases any college or international selections during your access window — including College Baseball, KBO (Korea) or NPB (Japan) — those are included at no extra charge. Don't miss a single first pitch — lock in your Triple Play All-Access Pass today and start cashing tickets!

*Access includes all MLB selections and any college/international baseball released and played during your 3-day window.

Last Call for Summer: Buy 3, Get 3 FREE — Just $69

Keep the momentum going into August with double the access for the same low price. For a limited time, lock in 6 full days of All-Access for just $69 — the price of a 3-day pass. That's twice the coverage at zero extra cost.

You'll get every pick, in every sport, from your chosen handicapper for the entire access window.

  • 6 full days of picks, pay for only 3
  • Full access to all sports released
  • Includes any Top Rated 5% Best Bets
  • Stack multiple passes to extend your coverage even further

Whether you're planning ahead for the stretch run or just want more bang for your buck, this is the easiest way to maximize value this month. Offer ends August 31.

Get the Rest of the Year for $799 - Save $696!

One price locks in every sport your handicapper covers, all the way through December 31, 2026, 5% Best Bets included.

No monthly renewals. Pay once, and every play your handicapper releases from now through New Year's Eve is yours.

And the calendar is just getting started. Look at everything still ahead:

  • College Football opens August 29
  • NFL kicks off September 9
  • NHL returns September 29
  • NBA tips off October 20
  • College Basketball is back on November 1

You get every sport your handicapper covers, straight through the end of the year.

Paid month to month, the rest of this season runs $1,495. Lock it in now for $799 and save $696, about 47% off the pay-monthly cost.

Here's the catch. The price stays $799, but the season keeps shrinking. Every week you wait, that same $799 covers fewer games. The sooner you lock in, the more football, hoops, and hockey you get for your money.

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Downloads

2026 NFL PRESEASON GUIDE & NFL SCHEDULE GUIDE!

2026 NFL PRESEASON GUIDE, PLUS…..RALPH'S NFL SCHEDULE GUIDE & THE GOLD SHEET 2025 NFL LOGS!

TWO GUIDES IN ONE PLUS THE GOLDSHEET 225 NFL/CFB LOGS - INCLUDING:

7 years of logs & 10 years of HC, OC's & DC's!

QB rotations with stats plus preseason QB stats the L2Y!

Preseason team stats the L2Y!

The NFL Regular Season Schedule Guide with team-by-team and week-by-week breakdowns!

The 2025 Gold SHeet NFL logs with 1Q, 1H, and full game ATS and O/U records

WEEK 0/1 CFB SCHEDULE WITH LINES & TOTALS

These week 0 and week #1 lien and totals were taken from OddsLogic on Friday, May 29th.
These week 0 and week #1 lines and totals were taken from OddsLogic.com, on Friday May 29th.
They are from BetOnLine.com.

THE WAGERTALK MLB FIRST INNING REPORT

First-Inning Report for Tuesday, August 8

The WagerTalk First Inning Report from Ralph Michaels is your daily cheat sheet for YRFI/NRFI betting.

Full game lines and totals with teams that scored in the first inning (and who gave one up)           


Current streaks (3+ straight 1st inning results highlighted) 

Starting pitchers listed — Lefty indicators included
* shows which teams faced a lefty

* Day games are in yellow

From trend chasers to prop hunters, this chart is built for quick-glance insights and actionable info.

Updated every morning with the freshest MLB data — only at WagerTalk!

 

PLUS…..RALPH LOADS A FREE FIRST INNING PLAY DAILY BY NOON ET M-F AND BY 11 AM ET SAT & SUN ON HIS HOME PAGE - WT.BUZZ/RM

THE 2026 DRAFT GUIDE - WHAT EACH CFB LOST

THE 2026 DRAFT GUIDE - WHAT EACH CFB LOST

Analyzing the NFL Draft in terms of how much it helps each NFL team is vital—but just as important (if not more) is how much each CFB program lost.

Ralph’s exclusive weighted grading system.

THE VALUE OF EACH CFB PLAYER DRAFTED

First Round: Top 9 (8 pts), Picks 10-20 (7 pts), Rest of round #1 (6 pts)

Round #2: 5 points, Round #3: 4 points, Round #4: 3 points

Round #5: 2 points and Round #6 & Round #7: 1 point

>> Get the draft sorted alphabetically and by points lost. 
>> Most points lost in the L5Y 

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Free Picks

Sport
Game Selection
Game Time
MLB
(965) Los Angeles Angels at (966) Houston Astros: Total
8:10pm EDT - Aug 18/2026

THE PLAY: First Inning Over 0.5 (-130) George Klassen (RHP), Cristian Javier (RHP) Must Start

(965) Los Angeles Angels at (966) Houston Astros: Total

First Inning Over 0.5 (-130) George Klassen (RHP), Cristian Javier (RHP) Must Start

Klassen has a 5.52 ERA, and he has one YRFI in 4 starts.
Javier has a 6.68 ERA

The Angels are 8-8 YRFI in their L16 road games

Houston is 4-0 YRFI with 6 YRFI in their L8 games

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Last 20

Date
Sport
Pick
Result
Aug 17
MLB
(911) Baltimore Orioles at (912) Tampa Bay Rays: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-115) Brandon Young (RHP), Shane McClanahan (LHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 17
MLB
(905) Miami Marlins at (906) Philadelphia Phillies: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-110) Janson Junk (RHP), Cristopher Sanchez (LHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 16
MLB
(961) Milwaukee Brewers at (962) Los Angeles Dodgers: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-135) Logan Henderson (RHP), Tarik Skubal (LHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 15
MLB
(917) Baltimore Orioles at (918) Tampa Bay Rays: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-136) Kyle Bradish (RHP), Ian Seymour (LHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 15
NFL
Cleveland Browns -145
(Analysis)
Loss
Aug 14
MLB
(953) Miami Marlins at (954) Cincinnati Reds: Total First Inning Under +0.5 (-140) Sandy Alcantara (RHP), Chase Burns (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 14
NFL
Denver Broncos -5.5 (-108)
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 13
MLB
(905) Milwaukee Brewers at (906) Los Angeles Dodgers: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-115) Shane Drohan (LHP), Roki Sasaki (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 13
NFL
Indianapolis Colts -135
(Analysis)
Push
Aug 12
MLB
(951) Philadelphia Phillies at (952) St. Louis Cardinals: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-115) Zack Wheeler (RHP), Kyle Leahy (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 11
MLB
(915) Seattle Mariners at (916) New York Yankees: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-130) Bryan Woo (RHP), Ryan Weathers (LHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 10
MLB
(951) New York Mets at (952) Atlanta Braves: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-115) Christian Scott (RHP), Bryce Elder (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Loss
Aug 09
MLB
(919) Atlanta Braves at (920) New York Yankees: Total First Inning Under +0.5 (-110) Grant Holmes (RHP), Cam Schlittler (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 08
MLB
(967) Atlanta Braves at (968) New York Yankees: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-130) Chris Sale (LHP), Gerrit Cole (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 07
MLB
(911) Baltimore Orioles at (912) Texas Rangers First Inning Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-125) Listed Pitchers Must Start (Baz & Eovaldi
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 06
MLB
(951) Pittsburgh Pirates at (952) Milwaukee Brewers: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-130) Braxton Ashcraft (RHP), Dustin May (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Loss
Aug 06
MLB
(969) New York Mets at (970) Cleveland Guardians: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-140) Nolan McLean (RHP), Foster Griffin (LHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Loss
Aug 05
MLB
(925) New York Mets at (926) Cleveland Guardians: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-125) Christian Scott (RHP), Tanner Bibee (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 05
MLB
(905) Miami Marlins at (906) Atlanta Braves: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-105) Eury Perez (RHP), Bryce Elder (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
Aug 04
MLB
(955) Pittsburgh Pirates at (956) Milwaukee Brewers: Total First Inning Under 0.5 (-135) Jared Jones (RHP), Logan Henderson (RHP) Must Start
(Analysis)
Win
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Consultant Bio

Ralph was raised in the home of handicappers in Cleveland, Ohio. Starting in the industry as a key member of Phil Steele's early team, which expanded Northcoast Sports during the mid-90s. Ralph's personal following grew fast, allowing him to strike out on his own as the founder of California Sports. Over the next dozen years as General Manager of Phil Steele Publications and lead handicapper of Northcoast Sports, Ralph managed the creation of some of the most popular sports betting content ever, including Phil Steele's College Football Preview Magazine and Northcoast's Power Sweep Newsletter. Content displaying expertise so elite that Ralph was invited into college football's most exclusive club: Heisman Trophy Voter
Ralph Michaels has a math mind, steadily searching for a value in the numbers in addition to matchup edges, situational advantages, and hidden gems of information. Ralph finds more big bets in the college versions of football and basketball, but his handicapping approach also uncovers selective winners in the professional leagues like MLB. Small conferences are particularly profitable due to mispriced injuries and his profiling of exploitable coaching tendencies.

 

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