Welcome back to another preview of a few games in the MLB for the weekend. With a packed card of games it seems to be one of those days that is very limited in value, a few crackers though with the hot bats of the Giants coming up against the inconsistent Tigers in what is an important set of games for both teams. San Fran are somehow clawing their way back into the NL West picture while Detroit just can’t string together a decent amount of good performances to gain ground in the AL Central. Teams heading towards the playoffs will start to rest key pitchers, either starting or relief so keep that in mind with regards to those teams who are clear of the pack, Orioles, Nationals and Angels at present.
Sunday 7th
Best Bet
Over 7.5 Nats/Phillies at $1.88
Multi
Pirates/Tigers at $2.91
San Francisco Giants vs Detroit Tigers (3am AEST)
Giants ($2.08) – Bumgarner
Tigers ($1.78) – Price
Over/Under – Over 7.5 ($2.10) Under 7.5 ($1.77)
Prediction
Tigers. David Price bounced back in his last outing from his shelling from the Yankees, going 7 innings against the Indians grabbing the Win and looking back to his old self. Now 13-10 on the season with an ERA of 3.25. Hi is coming up against arguably the hottest hitting team at the moment in the Giants who have won 7 of their last 9. With ace pitcher Madison Bumgarner on the mound they look to keep that good streak going. 16-9 with an ERA of 2.97 on the season is “Mad Bum” . His career interleague record reads 4-5 with an ERA of 4.29. After a rough rained delayed game on Saturday the Tigers need to bounce back and they will have to be on their game to do so. I think they will. I can’t see the Giants offensive outburst continuing for too long and as the post season approaches reigning AL MVP Miguel Cabrera starts to heat up. This team was made for post season baseball and they need to get there. I’ve been waiting for them to heat up and some signs have been showing. They need to take advantage of Price pitching here, and I backing them to do so. However I can see arguments for the Giants, I’m going with trends and my gut.
Suggested Bet
Tigers at $1.78
Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays (3am AEST)
Orioles ($2.21) – Gausman
Rays ($1.70) – Smyly
Over/Under – Over 7.0 ($1.87) Under 7.0 ($1.97)
Prediction
Rays. Former Tigers pitcher Drew Smyly has proved his worth since moving to Tampa, and living up to the promise and potential that once surrounded him. Since his move in 6 starts he has gone 3-1 with an ERA of 1.73. On the season 9-10 with an ERA of 3.31. Up against another good young arm in Kevin Gausman who has frustrated and shown he has a lot to learn still. A pitcher for the future he has been a little shaky of late even though he pitched into the 8th inning last outing for the first time in his MLB career. 7-7 with an ERA of 3.93 in his first season is still a decent record. I just feel Smyly is in a groove at the moment, he got the win last week over the Orioles and if he can keep his pitch count down early on he should be able to get on top of Baltimore. Hopefully a little run support can help him grab his 4th win since joining Tampa.
Suggested Bet
Rays at $1.70
Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals (6am AEST)
Phillies ($2.51) – Burnett
Rays ($1.56) – Roark
Over/Under – Over 7.5 ($1.88) Under 7.0 ($1.96)
Prediction
Nationals. Veteran pitcher A.J Burnett has been struggling of late picking up 7 losses in his last 9 starts. He has been shipping runs with ease. 7-15 with an ERA of 4.40 on the season his record against the Nats sits at 3-2 with a 4.13 ERA. Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark is 12-9 on the year with an ERA of 2.91 however his ERA against the Phillies comes in at 5.29 while going 1-2. After coming from behind and scoring 3 runs in the 9th inning on Saturday the Phillies grabbed the win 9-8 in extra innings. There is bound to be runs and I can’t possibly take Washington to win this outright even though I think they edge this one based on offense alone. The over 7.5 run line is the play I’m looking at with both teams able to get runners on base regularly we should see some runs.
Suggested Bet
Over 7.5 at $1.88
Other Suggested Bets
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs (6am AEST)
Pirates pitcher Liriano has been unlucky, in his last 6 starts he pitched 5 quality starts and got no wins. Hard luck. However good news is he is up against a team he tends to dominate in the Cubs. Taking him to get back in the win column here at $1.64.
All Prices Quoted via Sportsbet at time of writing.
Hope you all have a good week with your MLB betting. Hopefully your thoughts on the games match up with mine. As always these are only a select few games I was interested in, feel free to share your opinions on any games at @MLB_TheProfits on Twitter. Happy Punting.
Please Note:
All of the above are the opinions of the author and are not recommendations or advice. The author may not be taking every bet listed above. Bet at your own risk.
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