Back to reality with yet another Monday upon us. But it’s not your typical summer day filled with 13 or 14 baseball games. Today, we only have 9 of ‘em on the schedule to get us through the start of the week.
I can’t complain since the Dodgers are one of the chosen few playing baseball today. Mondays are usually travel days, but the Brewers rolled into town almost as quickly as the Marlins were swept. There’s a subway series in New York between the Mets and Yankees. The big question is: will the Yanks ever return to midseason form? Lastly, a divisional game taking place in Philly with the Reds coming to town. The Phillies have been one of the hottest teams since the All-Star break. They’ve managed to play their way into the last Wild Card spot in the National League.
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7:05PM EST New York Mets (-165) @ New York Yankees (+140)
Starting Pitchers: Max Scherzer (NYM) vs Domingo German (NYY)
If the Yankees planned on getting back on track, it’s probably going to wait a little bit. After losing 3 out of 4 games against the Toronto Blue Jays, they begin a series against the Mets. Unfortunately, they’re facing Scherzer in the first game. Even worse news for the Yankees is that they might have to go up against Jacob DeGrom as well.
The Bronx Bombers had a very mediocre July, finishing the month with a .500 record. After the way the Yankees started, many believed there was nowhere to go but up. However, the Yankees have only won 5 games so far in August and we’re ¾ of the way through it.
Max Scherzer has been one of the most dominant right handers this year, even at 38 years old. He’s had 9 starts since returning from the Injured List, and he’s only given up 13 runs. Critics thought that Scherzer’s prime was done after last year, but he’s done nothing but prove everyone wrong. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best in the game. Unfortunately, can’t say the same for Domingo German. He made his season debut a month ago and he’s been flat-out bad. He’s 1-2 with an earned run average of 4.45.
Met’s win this one handily but both teams put up a few runs to hit the over.
Wicked Wagers – Mets Money Line (-165) / Total Runs o7.5 (+100)
7:10PM EST Cincinnati Reds (+205) @ Philadelphia Phillies (-250)
Starting Pitchers: Luis Cessa (CIN) vs Noah Syndergaard (PHI)
Philadelphia was one of the most disappointing teams in the first few months of the 2022 season. They were so bad that their manager at the time, Joe Girardi was fired. Turns out, that was enough to change their season around. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves but Philadelphia has put themselves in prime contention for a Wild Card spot. They’re currently 1.5 games ahead of the Brewers for the final WC spot and only a half game behind the Padres for the 2nd spot.
Luis Cessa has primarily been an opener this year, but today’s start is a little different after the Reds sent T.J. Zeuch down to Triple-A. The longest he’s pitched this year has been a whopping two innings. The Reds are hoping they can get a bit more out of him today. The Phillies acquired Noah Syndergaard from the Angels at the trade deadline. Philadelphia was hoping to get more out of the righty that’s also known as ‘Thor’ than they have so far. Sure, he’s 2-0 since joining the team, but his ERA is also 4.50.
Stay away from the money line since the value isn’t there, but the run line and over/under are enticing. Expect Philly by at least a couple with both teams scoring early and often.
Wicked Wager – Phillies Run Line -1.5 (-120) / Total Runs o8.5 runs (-105)
10:10PM EST Milwaukee Brewers (+210) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (-260)
Starting Pitchers: Eric Lauer (MIL) vs Julio Urias (LAD)
Los Angeles was able to stay hotter than the sun after completing a sweep against the Marlins on Sunday. They hit around the supposed best pitcher in baseball like he was just another guy. With that win, they brought their record to 37-13 over their last 50 games. The Brewers, on the other hand, haven’t been great recently. About a month ago, it seemed like they were going to contend with the Cardinals for the NL Central. However, they started to slump and now find themselves 5 games back of 1st place.
The Cardinals lead will probably grow after game 1, since the Dodgers have Julio Urias starting on the mound. Urias is quietly having a monster year. If it wasn’t for Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson’s amazing seasons, there’s no doubt he’d be getting more recognition. Urias’s ERA on the year is 2.40 and he’s undefeated in his last 7 starts.
For the Brewers, Eric Lauer has had himself a solid year. Lauer is 8-5 with a 3.58 ERA. Considering the Dodgers don’t fare as well against left-handed-pitching as they do RHP, it might be a low scoring game.
Wicked Wager – Dodgers Run Line -1.5 (115)
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.