The baseball stars align for me later today. I’m busy in the late morning, but as soon as I’m free, the debauchery begins. Sixteen total games, with fifteen in the span of only 6 hours.
You know the deal here, it’s the Dodgers and divisional games that I like to keep an eye on. That means I’m all over Dodgers-Royals, Phillies-Mets, and the all-time best rivalry: New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox. Sit back and enjoy this Saturday’s Wicked Wagers!
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Wicked Wager is a term coined by our experts that refers to our best betting recommendation(s) for a specific game.
7:10PM EST Los Angeles Dodgers (-250) @ Kansas City Royals (+205)
Starting Pitchers: Andrew Heaney (LAD) vs Brad Keller (KC)
Last night’s game was a snooze fest for much of the game. The Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs in the 5th inning and managed not to score a single run. Frustrating, but we’ve experienced this same exact scenario way too many times.
Gonsolin had a no hitter going into the 7th inning but gave up a single to Vinnie 1B Pasquantino. The Dodgers offense won’t go missing for half of the game again, and the Blue Crew will come out swinging early.
There’s no question who has the edge when it comes down to starting pitchers here. Even if Andrew Heaney has spent most of the year on the Injured List, he’s been dominant when he’s healthy. He’s pitched a measly 28 innings, but he has only given up 2 runs. Brad Keller on the other hand has given up 9 combined runs in his last two starts. Los Angeles will tag Keller up for 3-4 runs early, and he’ll be hitting the showers by the 3rd or 4th inning. There isn’t any value in the Dodgers moneyline, but the run line and total are looking like a lock.
Wicked Wagers – Dodgers Run line (-145) / Total Runs o9.0 (-120)
7:10PM EST Philadelphia Phillies (+158) @ New York Mets (-190)
Starting Pitchers: Aaron Nola (PHI) vs Jacob DeGrom (NYM)
This should be a good one. The Phillies are hot and 8-2 in their last 10 games, and so are the Mets. However, both teams find themselves in totally different positions. The Mets look like they’ll win the National League East, while the Phillies are fighting for a Wild Card spot. If the season ended today, they’d be the 2nd Wild Card team, but time might be on their side. They are the hottest team in Wild Card contention and could overtake the Braves if Atlanta continues to slip up.
Vegas thinks this divisional game will be a low scoring affair, and I agree. Both pitchers have been very solid this year, but an edge goes to the Mets purely because of DeGrom’s name. He doesn’t have the innings under his belt yet for full confidence in him. However, he is a top 3 pitcher when he’s healthy. Nola has had a respectable season with a 3.17 ERA.
It’ll be a close game, which is typical of divisional matchups, but the Mets should handle business.
Wicked Wager – Mets Run Line (-140)
7:15PM EST New York Yankees (-145) @ Boston Red Sox (+122)
Starting Pitchers: Frankie Montas (NYY) vs Kutter Crawford (BOS)
No matter how bad or good either team is, any Yanks/Sox game is a treat to watch. They always have a playoff vibe to them, even if the Red Sox are under .500 – sorry Boston fans. Last night’s game was close, but the Red Sox came out by a score of 3-2 in the 10th inning.
Frankie Montas, recently acquired from the Oakland A’s makes his second start for the Yankees. He hopes to bounce back because his first outing in pinstripes didn’t go well. He gave up a whopping 6 runs in 3 innings pitched. One thing’s for sure, the fans at Fenway won’t make it easy on Montas. If you’re looking at season stats, Kutter Crawford hasn’t been good, but his recent stats tell a different story. In his last 7 starts, he has an ERA of 3.23 which is good for a rookie pitcher on a struggling team.
After last night’s low-scoring, extra inning game, the Yankees money line and over looks enticing.
Wicked Wager – Yankees Money Line (-145) / Total Runs o9.5 (+110)
How to Bet Baseball
Unlike other popular sports, most wagers placed on MLB games do not involve a point spread. Instead, bettors typically wager on the moneyline, looking to predict the winner of the game straight-up.
The less-popular cousin of the moneyline bet in baseball is the runline wager. The betting favorite will be assigned a -1.5-run handicap, but oddsmakers will offer an appropriate amount of “juice” to make laying the 1.5 runs with the favorite more appealing.
Totals wagers in baseball work very much like totals wagers in other sports. Oddsmakers will assign an Over/Under figure to every game, leaving bettors to determine whether the game in question will be a home run derby or a pitcher’s duel. Totals of 8.5 runs are typical of MLB games, though totals as low as seven runs and as high as 10 runs will pop up throughout the season.