Who doesn’t love an underdog?
Betting on an underdog is the easiest way to get the most bang for your buck with a single wager, yet it’s always a somewhat risky endeavor. I mean, they’re underdogs for a reason, right? Still, there’s no sport where the underdog comes through more often than in baseball. It’s a 162-game season. Even the best teams are going to lose about 60 times a year.
With that in mind, let’s go looking for dogs this Friday night — all at plus-money — on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best MLB Underdog Bets, Picks
White Sox ML (+109)
Anthony Kay will face the Guardians for the second time in his last three starts. He has been inconsistent lately, but he sparkled against Cleveland two weeks ago, allowing no runs in six innings with eight strikeouts. He ended up with a no-decision in that contest when he faced off with Gavin Williams, who gave up two earned runs in five innings. Williams will get the start against Chicago in this rematch after allowing multiple runs in each of his five starts in June. He allowed 19 runs in total on 26 hits in 25 1/3 innings. In that game, the Guardians came back after Kay left and took the lead, but Sam Antonacci played the hero with a walk-off winner.
Chicago won two of the three games in that series and is 6-4 in its last 10 games. Cleveland took the first game of this series, 6-5, after a one-out, two-run walkoff homer from Bryan Rocchio off Grant Taylor. The win put the two teams in a tie for first place in the AL Central. The White Sox will look to Kay to pick up where he left off in his last meeting with Cleveland to get them back atop the division.
Rays -1.5 (+144)
The Rays have swept the Royals and the Diamondbacks in back-to-back series as they roll into Houston for this weekend. They come in on an eight-game winning streak, and they have won all eight of those contests by multiple runs. During that span, they have outscored opponents 52-15. Spencer Arrighetti will try to slow down the rollin’ Rays, but he has given up three runs or more in five straight starts, allowing 25 runs in 25 innings. He served up three homers in each of his last two starts, and even though he’s still getting strikeouts, he is giving up too much hard contact. On the other side, the Rays will start Nick Martinez, who has been very solid in his first season with the Rays, going 7-2 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. The Rays have a good shot at continuing their momentum based on their recent form and the starting pitching matchup advantage.
Marlins ML (+119)
The Marlins split their four-game series with the Rockies and are 10-4 over their last 14 games as they come into Sacramento to take on the Athletics. The Fish are now four games over .500, while the A’s have slid to five games under .500 after going 3-8 in their last 11 games. The Marlins will start Tyler Phillips, who has pitched in 22 games with six starts. He has been a bulk reliever or starter in seven games, going 1-3 over that stretch, but with three runs or fewer in all but one of those outings. He went 7 1/3 innings against the Cardinals in his last start, allowing only two runs on six hits.
The A’s will counter with another pitcher moving from the bullpen to the rotation, Jack Perkins. Perkins is 0-1 in his five starts with a 6.65 ERA and a 4.85 FIP in those five outings. With favorable weather for offense, the Marlins are nice plays as they go from Coors Field to Sutter Health Park looking to continue their momentum.
