Xam’s Daily Gems:
Phillies Money Line -155 DraftKings
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler goes for the Phillies as they try to salvage the final game of the series against the Reds. He’s been superb in 5 starts so far this season, coming into the game with a 2.30 ERA. The veteran has been perfect for the Phillies since he arrived, and he was brought in to keep winning streaks going AND end losing streaks. He’s the ace of the staff for a reason, after all! The Reds counter with righty Nick Martinez, who has struggled this season with a 4.76 ERA. In 3 home starts this year, that number ticks up to 5.54! In 4 games he’s only pitched 17 innings, which could be a problem for the Reds. The Reds have only gotten 9.1 innings from their starters in the first 2 games of this series, so their bullpen may be a little lighter than usual today.
The Phillies should have a more rested bullpen and of course more urgency to get the win and avoid the sweep. If Zack Wheeler can throw up some zeroes, the Phillies should be able to get their powerful offense going, score some runs, and get themselves back on track in the finale today.
Guardians Money Line -158 FanDuel
Guardians starter has given up 1 run or less in 2 of his last 3 starts, all of which have come at home. The Guardians would LOVE to see him build on that in the rubber match against the Red Sox. He has been pitching with an elbow injury but has been learning how to pitch with it, and recent results would suggest it’s working!
Brayan Bello was supposed to start for the Red Sox today, but he went on the IL yesterday. Chase Anderson will make the “start” for the Red Sox, but it’s really going to be a bullpen game for Boston. Advantage: Guardians! After losing yesterday, the Guardians will have their premium arms in the bullpen all set and ready to go! If McKenzie can build off his recent success and hold down Boston’s lineup, Cleveland should be able to do some damage against Boston’s bullpen and win the series.
Astros Money Line -125 DraftKings
The Astros are staking their claim to biggest disappointment in Major League Baseball right now. In fact, they’re running away with it at this point. The reigning AL West champs are 7-18 and have lost 4 straight! Their last win? Justin Verlander’s first start of the season. The veteran ace was a welcome sight back for Astros fans everywhere, and if the Astros are going to climb out of this hole, they’ll need Verlander to be everything he can be and more. However, they need better production out of their lineup too.
The Cubs counter with righty Javier Assad, who’s been good to start the year, coming into the game with a 2.11 ERA. The Astros have underperformed at the plate, but they’re too good to keep struggling. They have a lineup filled with veteran hitters who have been there before and know what it takes to win! Simply put, the Astros need a win here to start getting themselves back on track. They’ll have all of their bullpen arms available late in the game. If Verlander can throw up some zeroes and give the team a chance to score, Houston should be able to do just that and salvage the final game of this series.
Mariners Money Line -118 FanDuel
Mariners ace Luis Castillo goes in the rubber match against the division rival Rangers today. He got off to a slow start this year, but his last 2 starts have been phenomenal. Two straight quality starts and his last start was 7 shutout innings on the road! Today will be a tougher test, but he’s proven his mettle. The Rangers counter with southpaw Andrew Heaney, who’s trending in the opposite direction. In 4 starts this year, he’s never gone more than 5 innings and in 2 of his last 3 he’s gone just 3.2 innings. That goes a long way towards explaining his woeful 6.35 ERA.
The Mariners not only have the starting pitching edge, they have the bullpen edge too! None of their premium bullpen arms pitched yesterday, so they should all be ready to go in the deciding game of this series tonight! If Castillo can keep his recent success going, the Mariners should be able to hit, score some runs, and take the series today in Arlington.
Padres Money Line -148 DraftKings
Dodgers Money Line -180 FanDuel
Yankees -1 -200 DraftKings
Fading the Athletics is never a bad idea! A pair of southpaws take the hill tonight at Yankee Stadium. The A’s are going with Alex Wood, who has a grotesque 7.89 ERA coming into this game. He just hasn’t been effective this year and hasn’t been able to pitch deep into games either. Nestor Cortes goes for the Yankees. He’s coming off his best start of the year in his last outing when he pitched 7 scoreless innings against Tampa Bay.
The Yankees finally got their offense going in a major way yesterday by scoring 7 runs, and they shouldn’t have an issue scoring runs tonight either. Alex Wood hasn’t been able to contain anyone, and Oakland’s bullpen leaves a lot to be desired. The Yankees will have their best bullpen arms available as needed, so they SHOULD be able to do contain the A’s and win the series tonight!
76ers -1.5 -166 FanDuel
Simply put, Philadelphia’s season is on the line tonight. The odds of them winning 4 straight games, including 2 games at Madison Square Garden, is astronomically low. They HAVE TO win tonight. Everyone has seen the highlights of how they lost Game 2, and what it took for them to collapse at the end. They’ve actually played pretty well in this evenly matched series. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have done pretty much whatever they wanted to do, and the 76ers have done a nice job containing Jalen Brunson in this series.
The 76ers should come out aggressive and ready to go tonight at Wells Fargo Center. The crowd will be hyped up and ready. The 76ers were a very good home team this year, and they’ll need that edge tonight. The key will be getting contributions from role players like Tobias Harris, Nicolas Batum, and even Kelly Oubre Jr. If those guys can step up, the 76ers SHOULD be able to get themselves back in this series.
They’re the more desperate team and they have homecourt advantage tonight. Look for the 76ers to get back on track and make this a series once again!
Astros/Cubs NRFI -125 DraftKings
Blue Jays/Royals NRFI -120 FanDuel
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Over 5.5 Ks -136 FanDuel
Dodgers/Nationals NRFI -110 FanDuel
OG Anunoby Over 16.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists -125 DraftKings
Isaiah Hartenstein Over 18.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists –105 DraftKings
Austin Reaves Over 21.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists -120 DraftKings
Lebron James Over 1.5 Made 3s -175 DraftKings
LeBron James Over 40.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists -154 FanDuel
Anthony Davis Over 39.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists -188 FanDuel