It is a full slate of MLB baseball with all 30 teams in action across the Saturday schedule. The New York Yankees got the day started in an AL East matchup with the Baltimore Orioles. There are several other notable games, including the Cubs facing the Mariners, the Red Sox and Giants squaring off as the dust settles surrounding the Rafael Devers trade, and the Phillies playing the Mets as the two battle for the NL East lead. The late slate will be headlined by the Dodgers and Nationals in the final game of the night.
Before the start of this afternoon’s contests, here are my three favorite MLB bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Phillies ML (-109)
The Philadelphia Phillies blew out the Mets 10-2 in the opening matchup of the series to take a one-game lead in the NL East. With both teams again hoping to be in the playoff mix after New York eliminated Philadelphia in last year’s playoffs, the rivalry has been officially renewed. There will be some significant stakes each time they face off.
The Mets have now dropped seven straight games while the Phillies have won eight of their last nine. Mick Abel will be on the mound for the Phillies for just his fifth start of his MLB career. The former first-round pick has tallied a 2.21 ERA and struck out 17 across his first 20.1 innings pitched. He has looked sharp thus far and the Mets’ offense should help him out today. They have struggled in a major way of late, ranking 28th in OPS, 26th in batting average, and dead-last in runs scored over the past week.
Griffin Canning gets the start for the Mets. The 29-year-old posted a 4.09 ERA in May and a 5.74 ERA in June. He allowed six earned runs in just 4.1 innings in his previous start against the Rays and has handed out 16 walks over his past five games. His ERA leaped from 2.90 to 3.80 on the season due to his last two starts alone. Philadelphia’s offense has woken up and scored 35 runs over its past six games, including 10 runs last night when the Mets’ bullpen unraveled to allow eight of these. The pair of NL East rivals are trending in opposite directions right now, so count on the Phillies continuing to play good baseball and take full control with a 2-0 series lead by getting the victory again tonight.
Rockies vs. Diamondbacks Over 12 Runs (-109)
It is hitting weather out in Colorado. 12 runs is a high total for an MLB baseball matchup, but these teams combined for 22 runs last night during the Diamondbacks’ 14-8 victory. I expect more of the same in Game 2 of the series.
Merrill Kelly starts for Arizona with a 3.41 ERA on the season. The Rockies roll out Carson Palmquist, who posts a 7.76 ERA and is giving up 2.4 home runs per nine innings. He is winless in his six starts this season and has been tagged for at least two runs in every start without pitching past the fifth inning. Eugenio Suarez hit two home runs last night for the Diamondbacks, and the team ranks third in home runs overall. Coors Field is one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the MLB, so expect Arizona to continue to take advantage.
While their record is still a work in progress, the Rockies offense has produced at a far more respectable rate of late. Across the past 15 days, they rank third-best in the MLB. They are averaging 5.2 runs per game, but also are posting the second-worst team ERA at 6.45 over this same stretch. Arizona does not rank much better with a 5.21 team ERA across this span. Both of these teams are hitting well and have had some struggles on their pitching staff. Neither side is throwing their best pitcher, so expect the runs to continue pouring in today. Look for these two sides to build off their 22-run effort last night and tally over 12 runs on Saturday.
Athletics ML (+112)
In the late slate tonight, the Athletics host the Guardians. Cleveland is in a rut right now and has dropped seven of their last ten games. They rank last in the MLB in runs over the past 15 days with just 2.9 per game. While this is extremely poor, it is not a massive outlier for what has been seen this year. Across the season overall, the Guardians rank 25th in the MLB in runs per game and OPS while batting just .231 as a team. They rank 20th in home runs.
Luis Ortiz gets the start for the Guardians tonight, with a 3-8 record on the season and a 4.64 ERA. He is coming off back-to-back losses in which he’s allowed 10 runs in 10.2 innings pitched. He will be pitching against Mitch Spence, who has shifted from a bullpen role to a starter. He is 2-1 this season with a 3.50 ERA and has struck out 47 hitters across his first 54.0 innings. While Spence started the year as a reliever, he is coming off three consecutive starts of 5.0 innings and has allowed just two earned runs across these opportunities.
The Athletics have won six of their last 10 games and with more success than usual offensively. They rank sixth in the MLB in home runs, second in hits, and 13th in total runs. With Cleveland’s offense looking lifeless and Luis Ortiz looking vulnerable on the mound, expect the Athletics to take control of the game and produce another victory tonight. Spence has shown enough to spark belief he will give the team a chance, so count on the offense to take care of the rest.
