SAN DIEGO PADRES @ ST. LOUIS CARDINALS – 4:45PM
The Padres take on the Cardinals again tonight after defeating them yesterday 7-4. These teams are now 2-2 against each other this year with 3 more games left to go in the regular season series. The Padres will have their ace Dylan Cease on the mound while the Cardinals have Miles Mikolas starting. In the month of August Dylan Cease has allowed only 7 earned runs through 3 starts (not counting the rain delay game against the Pirates on 8/6). Since July 13th the Padres are 6-2 in Cease’s last 8 starts and the team has a 25-9 record since the All-Star break which is 2nd in the majors behind the Diamondbacks. The Cardinals meanwhile are 4-3 in Mikolas’s last 7 starts since July 14th and Mikolas has allowed 14 earned runs so far through 4 starts in August. He is coming off a solid outing against the Brewers where he pitched 6 scoreless innings but he will have his hands full today with the Padres hitters who currently have the 4th best batting average in the majors this month (Brewers rank 14th). Considering the score of last night’s game, you could look to bet Padres on the run line but at the very least you can expect them to win again today.
The Pick: Padres Moneyline
NEW YORK METS @ ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS – 6:40PM
The New York Mets travel to Phoenix to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the final 3 games of their regular season series. These teams have not played each other in a few months and a lot has changed since the last time they faced off. They split their 4 game series in New York earlier this season and after the final game on June 2nd, the Diamondbacks record sat at 27-32 while the Mets were 24-35. Fast forward to the end of August and both of these teams have winning records and are fighting to make the postseason. The New York Mets are 68-63, sitting just 3 games behind a heavily injured Atlanta Braves squad that is barely holding on to the final wildcard spot and they are desperate to justify the largest payroll in the sport and make it to the playoffs. On the other side the Diamondbacks are the best team in baseball since the All-Star break with a 26-8 record that has launched them to a place in the standings where they can realistically challenge the Dodgers for the NL West Division crown. It’s a position no one ever imagined the Diamondbacks would be in right now and what they have been able to accomplish over the 2nd half of the season with all the injuries they are dealing with is simply remarkable and does not get the credit it deserves. They are currently on a 6 game winning streak and have won 9 out of their last 12 games. They keep winning without some of their best hitters in the lineup (Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno both out since the start of August). They were robbed of their single best player and MVP Candidate Ketel Marte on August 10th thanks to a dirty slide from Phillies catcher Garret Stubbs that caused an ankle contusion and it still hasn’t stopped them. So far in August the Diamondbacks have the 2nd best team batting average in baseball behind the Kansas City Royals. They are the only team in the majors with 3 players that have 25 or more hits this month (McCarthy, Suarez, and Perdomo). As a team they have scored 143 runs this month which leads the majors by a lot (next closest team has 131 runs). The Mets will be starting Sean Manea today on the mound and he has been excellent for them over the last couple months. The Mets are 9-2 in his last 11 starts going back to June 26th. Looking at his last 3 starts though he appears to be more vulnerable as he has allowed 3 runs in each of those games and was even pulled early against the Mariners back on August 10th in a 4-0 loss. In one previous appearance against the Dbacks on June 1st at home, Manea allowed 5 earned runs and 6 hits in a 10-5 loss. Look for Manea to struggle again today against the red hot Dbacks hitters. You could play Dbacks on the run line but to be safe you can just take them to get the win.
The Pick: Diamondbacks Moneyline
OTHER BETS TO CONSIDER:
Corbin Carroll 1+ Runs Scored
Jake McCarthy 2+ Hits
Jake McCarthy 1+ RBI’s
Yankees Moneyline
Mariners Moneyline
Rangers Moneyline
Justin Steele OVER 5.5 Strikeouts
Spencer Schwellenbach OVER 6.5 Strikeouts
Las Vegas Aces -9
A’ja Wilson 25+ Points
LONG SHOT PARLAY:
3 Legs +2521 Odds
- A’ja Wilson 30+ Points
- Jake McCarthy 2+ Hits
- Spencer Schwellenbach 8+ Strikeouts
A $5 Wager pays $126.07