Xam’s Daily Gems:
Diamondbacks -1 -171 DraftKings
The Diamondbacks go for the sweep today against the Rockies as they continue their push for the top Wild Card spot. Southpaw Jordan Montgomery has had a miserable season so far for the Diamondbacks, posting an UGLY 6.37 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. His ERA is an unsightly 8.14 at home while just 4.26 on the road, however, which suggests there SHOULD be some positive regression coming at some point for him. There’s fewer opponents better suited to make that happen than the Rockies. They’re one of the worst teams in the sport and statistically speaking the second worst road team in baseball, behind only the historically, woefully inept White Sox. Tanner Gordon has had his own issues for the Rockies this season. Hard to imagine a starter’s 6.15 ERA is the lower of the two starters coming into the day, but it’s true. The Diamondbacks have one of the deepest lineups in the sport and shouldn’t have ANY ISSUES putting runs on the board today. If Montgomery can contain a bad lineup that struggles on the road, the Diamondbacks SHOULD be able to finish off the sweep of their division rivals!
Orioles -1 -139 DraftKings
After getting walloped at home yesterday, the Orioles find themselves back in second place in the AL East, 1/2 game behind the Yankees. Facing a team that’s double-digit games under .500, the Orioles need to BRING IT tonight. Dean Kremer has been brutally inconsistent for the Orioles this season. He has a 4.70 ERA, given up 9 runs over 9.1 innings pitched in his last 2 starts, and has statistically speaking been WORSE at home than he has on the road! The Nationals go with southpaw DJ Herz tonight, who has shown some flashes of potential but overall has been DREADFUL on the road this year, posting an UGLY 6.75 ERA in 3 road starts. That’s bad news as he enters the lion’s den of opposing ballparks. The Orioles have been a solid home team this year. The Orioles know they can’t afford to lose games to teams like the Nationals, so manager Brandon Hyde will be ready to pull out ALL THE STOPS tonight to ensure his team does whatever it takes to get a win and even up this series.
Phillies Money Line -185 BetMGM
The Phillies got embarrassed on their home field by the lowly Marlins last night, and need to get a win to get back on track. They’ve actually lost 4 straight games and as a result have fallen firmly back into the 2-seed in the National League. If they want to catch the Dodgers and have homefield advantage throughout the National League playoffs, they HAVE TO handle their business and beat teams like the Marlins at home. Tyler Phillips could REALLY use a good start for the Phillies. He’s given up an ugly 12 runs over his last 2 starts, lasting just 6.2 innings pitched. He couldn’t ask for a much better bounce back matchup. The Marlins are scoring just 3.28 runs per game on the road this season! That’s bad news for Marlins starter Edward Cabrera, who comes into tonight with an ugly 5.20 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. Those numbers SKYROCKET to 7.08 and 1.52 WHIP on the road. He’s been great over his last 2 starts, failing to yield an earned run over 12 innings, but the Phillies SHOULD be able to produce tonight. They have arguably the biggest homefield advantage in the league and despite getting shutout yesterday, average 5.18 runs per game at home this season. If Phillips can get back on track, the Phillies SHOULD be able to get the win and even up this series!
Mariners -1 -117 DraftKings
Bryan Woo goes to the mound to get the Mariners back on track, and he’s been nothing short of FANTASTIC this season. He has a very impressive 22.7 ERA and sparkling 0.88 WHIP over 13 starts. After getting smashed yesterday in the first game of this series, the Mariners NEED Woo to show up in a major way. Despite their offensive outburst yesterday, the Tigers have struggled to score runs for much of the season. Beau Brieske goes for the Tigers, but he’s been turned more into a reliever recently and may not have a normal starter’s workload tonight. However, he has an UGLY 6.86 ERA over his last 15 games (3 starts), so the Mariners SHOULD be able to find ways to score runs. If they can, Woo SHOULD be able to lock down a weak Tigers lineup and get the Mariners back on the winning track!
Mets Money Line -174 FanDuel
Inexplicably, in a playoff race, the Mets no showed at home against one of the worst teams in baseball last night. Now, they simply NEED to win a ballgame tonight. They have now lost 4 straight games. Teams in a playoff chase simply CANNOT lose a home series to the woeful Athletics. The Mets turn to southpaw David Peterson to avoid that fate tonight. Peterson is turning in what might be his best season as a professional so far, coming into tonight with a 3.34 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. He’s been even better in his last 7 starts, pitching to a 3.11 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. Coming off the blowout loss yesterday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza won’t take anything for granted and will have all of his top bullpen options ready for anything and everything. The Athletics counter with righty Joey Estes, who’s been just PUTRID on the road this season. He has an UGLY 7.47 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 9 road starts. Not only that, opposing batters are hitting a ROBUST .289 against him when he pitches in enemy ballparks. The Mets have a deep lineup and SHOULD be able to produce tonight. If Peterson can contain a weak Athletics lineup, the Mets SHOULD get themselves back on track.
Yankees -1 -230 DraftKings
The Yankees are back atop the AL East and now have a chance to win a series against a historically bad team. Will Warren will make his 3rd start for the Yankees, and after his first two, the only way to go is up. He’s given up 12 earned runs in just 9.2 innings pitched, and in his last start at home, he gave up 8 runs to a terrible Angels lineup. However, this is a good spot for him to rebound in. The White Sox have scored the FEWEST runs in the Major Leagues this year, averaging a WOEFUL 3.14 runs per game. That drops down to an unbelievable 2.97 runs per game over their last 30 games! That spells bad news for tonight’s starter, Davis Martin. While he’s pitched fine overall in 3 starts this year, he hasn’t faced a powerful lineup like the Yankees. Not only do the Yankees have the two best hitters in the game right now in Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, but they also have a DEEP lineup that can do damage throughout. This just isn’t a fair fight for the White Sox. If Warren can put up some zeroes tonight, the Yankees SHOULD be able to score enough to win the game. Manager Aaron Boone knows how important this game is AND the Yankees are off tomorrow, so all of their top relievers should be available as well!