ATLANTA BRAVES @ MINNESOTA TWINS – 4:40PM
The Braves will be going for the sweep tonight in Minnesota when they face off against the Twins later this afternoon. This will be the final time these two teams will play each other this season as the Braves won the last two games with a combined 18 runs. The Braves have won five out of their last six games and are catching fire at the right time as the New York Mets are right on their heels for the final wild card spot in the National League. The Twins are trending downward having lost 7 out of their last 9 games and they’re currently on a 3 game losing streak. To make matters worse, they will have to face the favorite to win the National League Cy Young award this season as Chris Sale is set to take the mound tonight for the Braves. Sale has been excellent in August as the Braves are 3-1 through 4 of his starts. He’s allowed only 6 earned runs this month with a combined 36 strikeouts and 5 walks. The Twins will have David Festa on the mound and he has been steady so far in August but the Twins have not won a home game that he started in since July 24th and his ERA is almost double Sale’s this season. With the Braves hitters heating up at the right time and having arguably the best pitcher in baseball starting for them today, look for them to complete the sweep and defeat the Twins. Based on the previous scores in this series you could look to play the run line to boost your payout but to be conservative you can just take them on the moneyline.
The Pick: Braves Moneyline
MINNESOTA LYNX @ PHOENIX MERCURY – 7:00PM
The Mercury take on the hottest team in the WNBA tonight in Phoenix as they are set to square off against the Lynx. These teams have faced each other a few times already this season with the Lynx winning the regular season series so far 2 games to 1. The Mercury are 3-3 since the WNBA returned to play after the Olympics and the teams they have managed to beat so far are in the bottom half of the standings (Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream). They will continue to play short handed tonight as starter Rebecca Allen is still out with a hamstring injury along with Charisma Osborne. The lack of depth on the bench is a serious burden for the Mercury that is proving difficult to overcome and is costing them precious wins. They have yet to win a single fourth quarter in the 6 games they have played since coming back from the break; a telltale sign that this team is tired and lacking energy by the time their games are getting into crunch time. Meanwhile the Lynx have not lost since returning from the break as they are currently on a 6 game winning streak. They are not just simply winning games either, they are dominating the teams they have faced in August. Through 5 games they are winning by an average of 12 points with the smallest margin of victory being 10 points in their win against the Fever this past Saturday. Two of those five blow out victories came against the Aces so the majority of those wins were against playoff bound teams. The last time the Mercury faced the Lynx back on June 7th at home they pulled off a tight win with a final score of 81-80 but keep in mind the Mercury did not have the injury problems back then that they have now. Kahleah Copper had one of her highest scoring games of the season with 34 points to get the Mercury that victory and Rebecca Allen contributed 9 points as well. With the Mercury set to play their second game in three nights it will be difficult for Copper to replicate that performance and it will be even more tough getting a contribution off the bench to compensate for Allen being out of the lineup. The Lynx are coming into this game much more rested while playing their best basketball of the season. Look to bet on the Lynx to win this game. They are favored by 4.5 points and should have no problem covering that spread against a tired and depleted Mercury roster that’s been lacking energy in the second halves of their games.
The Pick: Minnesota Lynx -4.5 Spread
OTHER BETS TO CONSIDER:
Minnesota Lynx 4th Quarter Winner
Napheesa Collier 20+ Points
Napheesa Collier 10+ Rebounds
Connecticut Sun Moneyline
Aliyah Boston 10+ Rebounds
Padres Moneyline
Rangers Moneyline
Diamondbacks Moneyline
Luis Severino OVER 4.5 Strikeouts
Corbin Carroll 1+ Runs Scored
LONG SHOT PARLAY:
3 Leg Parlay +3043 Odds
- Luis Severino 6+ Strikeouts
- Napheesa Collier 25+ Points
- Jarren Duran To Hit a Double
A $5 wager wins $152.18