Xam’s Daily Gems:
Phillies -1 -147 DraftKings 1 Unit
Fresh off their “Hangover Game” the Phillies will look to get back in the win column tonight. Believe it or not, they still have PLENTY to fight for in the last few games of the regular season! They have work to do to wrap up a bye in the first round of the playoffs, but they’re also JUST 1/2 a game back of the Dodgers for the top overall seed! For the team with the BEST homefield advantage in baseball, having the playoffs go through Philadelphia is awfully tempting for the Phillies to fight for. Southpaw Cristopher Sanchez is going for the Phillies tonight. He’s putting together a REALLY solid season for the Phillies, posting a 3.25 ERA and 1.24 WHIP coming into tonight’s start. However, he’s been FANTASTIC over his last 7 starts, posting a 2.17 ERA and 1.01 WHIP over 45.2 innings. He’s also been GREAT at home this season, pitching to a SPARKLING 2.05 ERA, .221 batting average against, and 0.96 WHIP across 16 starts. Two of those starts have been complete games! Javier Assad goes for the Cubs tonight, and he’s been MUCH worse on the road than he has been at home. He has a 4.17 ERA, .266 batting average against, and 1.36 WHIP. Coming off yesterday’s blowout loss, the Phillies should have ALL of their top bullpen arms available. Look for them to get back on track and back to their winning ways, which they have done ALL YEAR at Citizens Bank Park!
Yankees Money Line -125 DraftKings 1 Unit
The Yankees have ANOTHER chance to clinch the AL East tonight at Yankee Stadium. It was originally supposed to be Nestor Cortes on the mound, but he has since been scratched and Marcus Stroman will take his place instead. While he’s had an up and down season for the Yankees, he’s been better recently, posting a 3.86 ERA over his last 7 starts. Having lost yesterday, the last thing the Yankees want to do is go into tomorrow’s game trying to avoid being swept in their own building. The Yankees will do EVERYTHING they can to get it done tonight and clinch the division. Baltimore is rolling with righty Zach Eflin, who’s had a MUCH different season when he’s pitched on the road compared to at home. On the road this year he has a 4.16 ERA, .259 batting average against, and 1.16 WHIP. The Yankees SHOULD be able to score some runs tonight. They are a different team at home. This game will come down to what Marcus Stroman and the bullpen can do to contain a powerful Baltimore offense. If the pitching can stand up tonight, the Yankees lineup SHOULD take care of the rest and let the Yankees party the night away!
Blue Jays Money Line -134 FanDuel 1 Unit
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman has been BRILLIANT recently, pitching 2.32 ERA and 1.08 WHIP on the year. In fact, he’s given up just 8 earned runs in his last 5 starts COMBINED, spanning 30.2 innings pitched! Superstar third baseman Rafael Devers is done for the rest of the year and that makes Boston’s lineup MUCH less intimidating. Richard Fitts has pitched really well for the Red Sox this year, having not given up a single earned run in 3 starts! However, he pitched to a 4.17 ERA, .253 batting average against, and 1.28 WHIP in the minors this season, so Toronto SHOULD be able to scratch some runs across tonight. The Blue Jays have lost 5 straight games, but they SHOULD have some pride tonight with their best pitcher on the mound at home against a division rival. If Gausman can keep his streak going, the Blue Jays should end their losing streak tonight!
Twins -1 -145 DraftKings 1 Unit
All of a sudden, the Twins are at SERIOUS risk of missing the playoffs. They have lost 3 straight games and 7 of their last 10. They now sit 2 games back of the Tigers and Twins for the 2nd and 3rd Wild Card spots, respectively. Tonight is as MUST WIN a game as there is. Fortunately for them, one of the worst teams in baseball comes to town tonight. The Marlins, at 58-99, are just playing out the strings of yet another lost season. Edward Cabrera has been BRUTAL this year, pitching to an UGLY 5.12 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. He’s coming off a start where he gave up 7 runs in 2.1 innings to the Dodgers! His numbers on the road this year have been quite bad as well. He has accumulated a 5.71 ERA, .247 batting average against, and 1.44 WHIP on the road. Simeon Woods Richardson makes the all-important start for the Twins tonight. The Marlins have been PATHETIC scoring runs on the road this year, averaging just 3.38 runs per game. Simply put, the Twins have EVERYTHING to play for in this game and manager Rocco Baldelli knows it. Expect every single premium bullpen arm to be available tonight. If the Twins can put some runs on the board, they SHOULD be able to put their losing streak behind them!
Diamondbacks -1 -180 DraftKings 1 Unit
The Diamondbacks have been in FREEFALL recently and NEED their ace pitcher to step up tonight. Arizona has lost 3 straight games and now sit just 1/2 a game up on the Braves for the last Wild Card spot in the National League. They got absolutely blasted yesterday and just don’t seem to have a ton of confidence right now. While Gallen has had a nice season overall, he’s given up 7 earned runs in his last 10 start, spanning just 10 innings, and NEEDS to get himself righted. He’s been quite good pitching at Chase Field this year, pitching to a 3.51 ERA, .244 batting average against, and 1.23 WHIP this season. The Giants counter with righty Mason Black tonight, who has REALLY struggled this season! He comes into tonight with a 5.88 ERA and 1.51 WHIP on the year. He’s been even WORSE on the road this year, coming into tonight with a GROTESQUE 6.75 ERA, .292 batting average against, and 1.62 WHIP in 4 starts! The Diamondbacks, despite no-showing last night, have ROUTINELY FEASTED on bad pitching this year, and especially so at home! Don’t let one bad game fool you. They are AVERAGING 5.65 runs per game at home this year. If Zac Gallen can get back on track a little bit, the Diamondbacks SHOULD get themselves righted in a MUST WIN game!
Mercury/Lynx Over 161 Points -108 FanDuel 1 Unit
These teams had quite the high scoring affair in Game 1 of their series on Sunday, dropping 197 points in this game! The Lynx have A TON of offensive talent, led by none other than Napheesa Collier, who dropped a game high 38 points in Game 1! Coming off two days of rest and at home again, Minnesota shouldn’t have ANY ISSUES putting up a lot of points in this game. Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, and Alanna Smith have proven to be solid complimentary players as well. The key to this Play will likely come down to what Mercury can do offensively. While they dropped an impressive 97 points in Game 1, 54 of those points came from Natasha Cloud and Diana Taurasi, who went a combined 9-18 from beyond-the-arc. They will need more help from Kahleah Copper and Brittney Griner tonight, as they combined for just 26 points in Game 1. It’s all hands-on deck here, but if Mercury can keep this game interesting, Minnesota SHOULD care for the rest and get us Over this point total!
Yankees Team Total Over 3.5 Runs -155 BetMGM 1 Unit
The Yankees will NEED their offense to come to life tonight. They are a SINGLE WIN AWAY from capturing another AL East title. To get there, they’ll have to go through Zach Eflin, who’s struggled on the road this year. The Yankees are averaging 4.74 runs per game at home this year, and are led by superstars Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, who just might be the 2 best hitters in the American League. The Orioles used several top bullpen arms yesterday, so they may be forced to use secondary bullpen arms in this game, and especially so if Eflin struggles early. We know Judge and Soto will show up and produce like they always do. If other guys like Gleyber Torres, Anthony Rizzo, and even Anthony Volpe can put together productive at-bats, we just might see the Yankees break out offensively and win the division in the process!