Happy College Football Saturday, Everyone!
Oh, you prefer diamonds to gridirons? Who can blame you when baseball is so good right now with playoff chases heating up and prime betting opportunities available.
Others can celebrate the kickoff of CFB, we are focused on MLB.
Here are Saturday’s best baseball bets…
Cleveland Guardians at Toronto Blue Jays
The Guardians are 25-14 on the run line as a road underdog. That trend held true on Friday when the Guardians beat the Blue Jays in Toronto 5-2.
On Saturday, Cleveland sends Logan Allen to the mound. The southpaw has been impressive this month with a 1.96 ERA and .203 OBA, and he had a strong 5-inning start against the Blue Jays earlier this year.
Allen will be opposed by Hyun Jin Ryu who has been brilliant since returning to action from the IL earlier this month. That also includes a previous meeting against the Guardians.
So, which side to back when everything appears to be so close. Well, that’s precisely why we like this game – Cleveland losing by two runs seems like a less likely outcome. That has us taking the Guardians to cover on the run line.
MLB Best Bet: Guardians +1.5 (-140)
Kansas City Royals at Seattle Mariners
Some trends slap you in the face so hard you can’t think about other stats, other matchups, other factors. Sometimes, one or two key notes standout above all the rest.
Saturday is a Jordan Lyles Day. For those who don’t know, Kansas City Royals pitcher Jordan Lyles has been one of the best pitchers to fade all season. 3-14 record with a 6.20 ERA and the Royals are awful in his starts from a win-loss perspective.
And, on the other side, the Seattle Mariners are arguably the hottest team in baseball as they are now tied for first place in the AL West with the Texas Rangers after going 9-1 over their last 10 games.
Again, some things are just so obvious that it is hard to get past it.
Lyles vs the Mariners? We won’t overthink it.
If you want a good hedge play, Royals +2.5 (-165) is absolutely a bet we would recommend. But, when it comes to best bets, Seattle to win is simply too good to pass up.
MLB Best Bet: Mariners ML (-238)
Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox
Don’t look now, but the Oakland A’s have been playing much better baseball. Why? Because they finally called up some of the young talent in the farm system and that has injected some energy (and additional talent) into the lineup.
Can the A’s beat the White Sox on Saturday?
Oakland won on the road Friday night. As an away underdog, the A’s have a sub-.500 cover percentage. But, surprisingly, after a win, the A’s are 19-18 covering on the run line.
Both starting pitchers have been awful lately. JP Sears of the A’s has an 8.00 ERA in August while Touki Toussaint of the White Sox has an 8.84 ERA in August.
The starting pitchers should give up plenty of offense – and that may favor Oakland who has the hotter bats right now.
It’s become a consistent play over the last few weeks, but we won’t let the popularity of the bet keep us from following our instincts based on the trends. We are taking the A’s to cover on the run line, given this game will be a high-scoring, close outcome.
MLB Best Bet: Athletics +1.5 (-175)