Xam’s Daily Gems:
Phillies Money Line -210 DraftKings
The Phillies go with ace Zack Wheeler tonight, who’s been nothing short of AWESOME! He has a 2.32 ERA on the year, and that goes down to a sparkling 1.77 ERA at Citizens Bank Park! The Phillies have been one of the best teams in baseball at home this year, coming into tonight with a 24-9 record. The Brewers are hot, coming into today with a 5-game winning streak and winners of 8 of their last 10. However, this just feels like a game where they cool down. The Phillies have the bats, the better pitcher, and homefield advantage in their favor!
Astros -1 -130 DraftKings
The Cardinals come off playing on Sunday Night (and in extra innings) and had to travel late to Houston while Houston stayed at home following a home series. Justin Verlander has been solid since coming off the IL, pitching to a 3.26 ERA. His worse numbers have actually come at home this year, but he’s too good to continue being ineffective at home. He’s a future Hall of Fame pitcher who is doing everything he can to get the Astros back on track. The Cardinals counter with Kyle Gibson, who’s also been better on the road than at home this season. However, he has a career road ERA of 4.45, so there should be some negative regression. The Astros are finally starting to hit and with a tired Cardinals bullpen, Houston SHOULD be able to score enough runs to get them back on track!
Tylor Megill Over 4.5 Ks -118 FanDuel
Megill had perhaps the best start of his career his last time out, going 7 shutout innings and striking out 9 against the Dodgers. In his start before that, he struck out 7 batters in just 5 innings. He has solid strikeout stuff, and the Mets will surely want him to go as long as he can. Their bullpen is nothing short of terrible, and their starter yesterday only lasted 4 innings. They used a lot of arms and haven’t gotten much length from their starters recently. The Nationals are about middle of the pack when it comes to strikeouts, so if Megill can keep his pitch count low and attack the strike zone, he SHOULD be able to clear this number in his 3rd straight start!
Nationals Team Total Over 3.5 Runs -140 DraftKings
The Nationals are averaging over 5 runs per game at home in their last 10 games. Tylor Megill has also historically struggled on the road. Last year he pitched to a woeful 6.79 road ERA. At night last year, he pitched to a 5.14 ERA. There should be some regression from him when it comes to road starts. The Mets will also need to go to their bullpen eventually, which is bad news for them. They may have the worst bullpen in baseball. Between injuries and underperformance, it just hasn’t been a good season for them. The Nationals have the hitters to take advantage and Tylor Megill has a career ERA of 5.55 against the Nationals.