Xam’s Gem(s):
Yankees Money Line -172
Despite a disappointing season, the Yankees have been playing better recently. Tonight they send the overwhelming favorite for the AL Cy Young award to the mound. The Pirates are countering with a guy who’s pitched 7.1 innings and given up 6 earned runs in his last 2 starts. The Yankees are out of the wild card race, but look for them to be motivated to help Gerrit Cole lock up a Cy Young award.
Braves Money Line -168
The Braves may have run away with the NL East, capturing their 6th straight division title, but there’s still work to do to lock up the top seed in the NL. They face Johnny Cueto, who’s been awful lately, giving up 12 earned runs in his last 3 starts. The Braves should still be plenty motivated to end the season strong, and there’s even extra motivation to knock a division rival out of the playoff chase.
Rangers Money Line -120
The Rangers have been hot lately, and the Guardians have been struggling. Now Cleveland turns to Lucas Giolito, who is 1-4 with a 7.24 ERA in his last 5 starts. The Rangers have been an offensive juggernaut this season, and there’s no reason to think they will get shut down by Giolito.
Phillies Money Line -138
The Phillies are in the heart of the playoff race, and they have work to do in order to keep Chicago away from the top wildcard spot. The Cardinals have been one of the biggest disappointments in the league this year. Aaron Nola has struggled this year, but he’s been known to turn it on when it really matters, and this game definitely qualifies.
Cubs Money Line -138
The Cubs have been a pleasant surprise this year, led by Justin Steele, who is competing for a Cy Young award. Meanwhile, Arizona just finished off a very uncompetitive series with the Mets, getting dominated and losing 3 out of 4 games. They seem to be running out of steam, and Brandon Pfaadt doesn’t have the stuff to stem the tide. In his last start he gave up 4 runs in 6 innings of work against the Cubs.
Padres/Athletics Over 8.5 Runs -114
The Padres have been another massive disappointment this year, while the Athletics are just trying to finish off a truly miserable season. Seth Lugo has been inconsistent this year, and in his last 7 games has pitched to just under a 4.50 ERA. The Padres can hit, however. They are averaging almost 5 runs per game on the road, and more than 6 in their last 3 games. Oakland isn’t known for scoring this year, but if they can contribute even a little bit, it should be enough to get us 9 runs in this game.
Xam’s Prop(s):
Jon Gray Over 4.5 Ks -115
Gray has gone has 5 Ks or more in 4 of his last 6 starts, and in 3 of those starts he had 7 or more. Cleveland doesn’t strikeout much, but with all the rotation issues facing the Rangers, they need Gray to go deep tonight, which should give him more chances to hit his number. He has 5 or more Ks in each of his last 3 road starts, showing he can miss bats wherever he pitches.
Aaron Nola Over 5.5 Ks -108
Nola has had no less than 5 Ks in each of his last 6 starts, and had 6 or more in 4 of those starts. The Cardinals strikeout over 8 times per game. Nola has had issues with his pitch count recently, but if he can keep that in check, he should be able to continue his K run and get to 6 strikeouts.
Justin Steele Over 5.5 Ks -130
Steele has been a strikeout machine lately, getting 6 Ks or more in each of his last 6 starts! Granted, some would say he’s due for a correction, but Chicago needs to win every game Steele pitches in, so he should have plenty of run tonight. Arizona struck out 13 times yesterday against Senga and the Mets, so Steele should be able to get to 6 Ks once again.