Will the Royals and Nationals bats stay quiet? Can the Tigers hold onto their wild card spot with a fourth consecutive victory? Will the Mariners get a measure of revenge against a Houston team that could be hungover? Here are our Wednesday MLB Best Bets.
Tuesday MLB Best Bets Recap
I figured the Phillies would be hungover after clinching the division on Monday night, which is why I backed the Cubs at -130. Chicago’s odds dropped to -105 before first pitch, so I didn’t get the best value with the Cubs. That said, they still won easily over Philadelphia, 10-4.
The easiest victory over the night came with an underdog, as the Giants smoked the Diamondbacks 11-0 in Arizona. With Logan Webb on the mound and the offense facing a struggling Brandon Pfaadt, the Giants easily cashed as a +125 dog.
Finally, our other underdog in the Padres also hit, as they dispatched the Dodgers, 4-2. After a week of struggling in this spot, it was great to go 3-0 with two underdogs cashing. Let’s see if we can’t build off that today.
Wednesday MLB Best Bets: Seattle Mariners -135
Same notion I had yesterday with the Phillies: Fade the team that just clinched the division. With their victory over the M’s last night, the Astros secured their fourth American League West title in a row. They missed out on the bye into the ALDS, which means they’ll likely give some players some days off, including today.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Seattle’s moneyline increased, as the Mariners are still in the hunt for a wild card spot. Thus, hope on the Mariners now if you like this suggestion.
Granted, it won’t be easy for Seattle. They face Houston starter Yusei Kikuchi today and he’s 5-0 with a 3.41 ERA over his last five starts. He’s average 6 1/3 innings of work and is coming off a nine-strikeout performance against the Angels on September 9.
Fortunately, the Mariners counter with George Kirby, who is 4-1 with a 4.25 ERA over his last five starts. In his three starts versus Houston this season, he’s allowed an average of 1.0 earned runs across his 18 innings of work. He’s dominated Houston.
Wednesday MLB Best Bets: Detroit Tigers -115
Believe it or not, the Tigers would be the third wild card if the playoffs started today. They’re hot, too. They’ve won three straight games and eight out of their last 10 games overall. They’re also 40-36 at home this season, earning $100.00 bettors $934.00 this season if they would have backed Detroit in every game at Comerica Park this season.
The Tigers have also had their way with the Rays this season. Tampa Bay owns a 6-4 record against Detroit in the last 10 meetings between the two teams. That said, the Tigers have won three of the four meetings between the two teams in 2024.
Today won’t be easy. The Rays are starting Zack Littell, who is 3-2 with a 1.67 ERA over his last five starts. However, Littell did face the Tigers back in April and he allowed six runs on nine hits in six innings of work. The Tigers won that game, 7-1. Granted, that game was played over five months ago, so I don’t know how relevant it is when considering the Tigers today. Nevertheless, Detroit has everything on the line. Tampa has nothing. I’m backing the Tigers.
Wednesday MLB Best Bets: Royals/Nationals under 7.5
The Royals have to be panicked over their offense the closer they get to the postseason. While they eventually won the game 1-0, it took Kansas City 10 innings to score that lone run. The Royals have now been held to two or fewer runs in six consecutive games. Over that span, they were shut out twice and held to only one run twice. The under has cashed in seven out of the Royals’ last 10 games.
Of course, the Nationals haven’t been much better offensively. The under is also 7-3 in their last 10 games and they’ve been shutout in back-to-back contests. In their last 10 games, the Nats have been held to four or fewer runs eight times.