Thursday is usually a small baseball slate and that’s exactly what we have this evening. Nonetheless, we still have plenty of betting opportunities to take advantage of, so let’s get right into it. As always, feel free to follow me on Twitter @SBuchanan24.
Let’s dive into three of my favorite bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Thursday’s slate.
DraftKings users can get in on the action by betting on DraftKings Sportsbook or by downloading the DK Sportsbook app.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees:
Total Runs o9.5 -118
The way the Yankees’ offense is going as of late, they could honestly hit the over on this total by themselves. This team has scored 33 runs over the last TWO games. Tonight, they have the benefit of facing Chase Anderson, who through seven starts has allowed 19 runs on 33 hits with six home runs allowed. While Anderson has mainly pitched at home, his road numbers aren’t good by any means with a .466 wOBA and an 8.90 FIP.
On the Blue Jays’ side, Masahiro Tanaka has some decent numbers overall but his starts at home have been an issue. At Yankee Stadium, Tanaka sports a .353 wOBA with a 5.17 FIP and five of the six home runs he’s allowed. Let’s not forget, this is a very solid Blue Jays offense so it’s not as if they can’t put runs up either. I wouldn’t be surprised if this total climbs as the day moves on, so getting in on this early would be recommended.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals Team Total o4.5 runs -118
The Cardinals are a sneaky good team against left-handed pitching. When we think of some of the teams that smash lefties, the White Sox are usually the topic of discussion. Quite frankly, the Cardinals should be in the conversation as well. Coming into this game, the Cardinals boast a .364 wOBA, a .214 ISO and a 126 wRC+ against opposing lefties. Tonight, they’ll be facing off against Steven Brault ($5,900), who has not done well at home. Brault has a .339 wOBA with a 4.95 FIP in this split. With a shaky bullpen behind him, I like the Cardinals to hit the over on their team total.
Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros
First team to score: Houston Astros -122
I really like this number for the Astros to score first against Jordan Lyles. Lyles has extremely poor numbers the 1st time through the order, posting a .504 wOBA, a 9.39 FIP and a 3.6 HR/9. The Astros also lead the league with 1st inning runs at 0.86. While we don’t necessarily need them to score in the first inning to win, it helps that the Astros lead the league in that stat.
Moneyline Parlay
Cardinals-Indians Moneyline Parlay +119
These are the two teams I feel most confident to win tonight, so I don’t hate the idea of parlaying them. While parlays are usually not the best plays to make, I like the idea of getting plus money on two favorites. As mentioned, the Cardinals are an excellent team against lefties while the Tigers will face Shane Bieber, who shut them out through seven innings in his start earlier this season.
Place your bets at DraftKings Sportsbook or by downloading the DK Sportsbook app.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is steveazors) and I may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.