After the Phillies clinched the NL East last night, do the Cubs have the advantage tonight at Citizens Bank Park? Will the Giants and Padres pull off upsets against divisional rivals? Check out our Tuesday MLB Best Bets.
Monday MLB Best Bets Recap
Yesterday’s best bets column was a bit of a wash. I recommended the Phillies -1.5 (+120) over the Cubs and they came through rather easily. Following their 6-2 victory, the Phillies were able to celebrate clinching the National League East title. Unfortunately, the Astros didn’t cash in on their opportunity to win the American League West, falling 6-1 to the Mariners as a favorite.
Finally, the Giants and Diamondbacks combined for seven runs through the first five innings last night in Arizona, but mustered only two more runs in the final four innings. Thus, my recommendation of the over 9 wound up as a push.
Tuesday MLB Best Bets: Chicago Cubs -130
I’m fading the same team that cashed for me last night. Why? Because the Phillies are coming off a night of celebrating a National League East title. Tonight, Philadelphia will hand the ball to reliever Tanner Banks to open before turning the game over to the rest of their bullpen. While these bullpen games can be difficult to predict, the Cubs still have an advantage.
Chicago will also benefit from starting Justin Steele, who is 5-5 with a 3.03 ERA on the season. He missed the last three weeks due to elbow tendinitis, but he’s good to go after shaking off the rust last Wednesday against the A’s. He was pulled after just 57 pitches, but his pitch count should be higher tonight.
Tuesday MLB Best Bets: San Francisco Giants +125
The Giants are hot to end the season. Following their 6-3 victory last night, the Giants have won four straight and six out of their last seven overall. They’ll also have their ace on the mound tonight. Logan Webb has struggled of late (2-3, 6.58 ERA) but has dominated Arizona. In his last three starts against the Diamondbacks since August of last season, Webb has allowed 1.7 earned runs and is averaging 6 2/3 innings per outing.
Brandon Pfaadt, meanwhile, has really struggled of late. He did post 12 strikeouts and allowed just one run over seven innings in the Diamondbacks’ 5-1 win over the Brewers on September 19. Even with that outstanding performance, Pfaadt is still 2-3 with an 8.37 ERA over his last five starts. He’s allowed an average of 4.8 runs and 6.6 hits per game over that span.
Tuesday MLB Best Bets: San Diego Padres +100
The Padres have been a thorn in the Dodgers’ side. In the last 10 meetings between these National League West rivals, San Diego is 7-3. The Friars have also won three straight versus the Boys in Blue and five of the last six meetings overall.
San Diego starter Michael King hasn’t had a lot of run support of late, which is why he’s 1-4 over his last five starts. However, his ERA over that span is 2.30 and he’s allowing 1.4 earned runs per start. He faced the Dodgers in May and allowed zero runs on two hits with 11 strikeouts in the Padres’ 2-1 victory.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, will counter with Landon Knack, who is 2-3 with a 4.84 ERA over his last five starts. He didn’t allow a run in his last start, but that came against the Marlins. When he faced the Braves on September 13, he surrendered five runs on seven hits in just two innings. He draws a tough assignment tonight against the Padres.