In improbable fashion, the Philadelphia Phillies kept their season alive last night by capitalizing on a rare off night from Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, getting seven solid innings out of Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez, and packing on a quintet of insurance runs in what could be the last outing of Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw’s career.
They still need to win tonight in Los Angeles and Saturday back in the City of Brotherly Love, but the path forward suddenly looks a lot less daunting: ace Cristopher Sánchez will take the mound today for Philadelphia against the Dodgers’ fourth starter, Tyler Glasnow. The game will start at 6:08 p.m. ET in Los Angeles.
There are plenty of bets that you can make on the game, but one of the most fun (and rewarding) ways is to build a same-game parlay. Here’s one that I like:
Dodgers vs. Phillies Same Game Parlay
- No Runs First Inning
- Dodgers ML
- Mookie Betts 1+ Singles
No Runs First Inning
There hasn’t been a run scored in the first inning yet this series, and while Glasnow hasn’t yet taken the mound yet, Sánchez pitched a perfect first inning in Game 1. Sánchez, who will likely finish either second or third in NL Cy Young Award voting, is better than Glasnow, but the veteran right-hander is no slouch either. He finished with a 3.17 ERA this season and escaped with a clean first inning in all but three of his starts, and Sánchez allowed a run in the first inning just five times in 32 starts. Plus, the tops of both teams’ orders have mostly struggled this series: Shohei Ohtani is just one-for-14, and Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are a combined five-for-22.
Dodgers ML
I would’ve felt more comfortable taking the Dodgers last night with Yamamoto on the mound than tonight with Glasnow, but that would be disrespectful to the spindly cat enthusiast. Glasnow pitched at an ace-like level at Dodger Stadium, posting a 2.77 ERA in 11 starts there, and Los Angeles went 6-5 in those games. Overall, the Dodgers still have one of the league’s most powerful home field advantages, boasting the largest stadium in Major League Baseball, and they went 52-29 there during the regular season, though just 1-2 against the Phillies. Plus, Los Angeles was able to save two of its better relievers, converted starter Emmet Sheehan and closer Roki Sasaki, from pitching in last night’s blowout.
Mookie Betts 1+ Singles
The Dodgers are largely peaking during the playoffs because the 2018 AL MVP is back to full form after a disappointing season. He received a standing ovation of encouragement before his first at-bat on August 4, and ever since then, he slashed .311/.369/.505 for the remainder of the regular season, recording at least one single in 27 of his 48 games. Plus, he’s been on a tear to start the playoffs, singling in four of the five games so far. Sánchez doesn’t frequently give up hits, with a 72nd-percentile expected batting average, but he also throws sinkers and changeups at nearly even proportions to right-handed hitters. While Betts struggled against left-handed changeups, he hit .313 against lefty sinkers.
