Greetings my fellow gamblers, it’s Chris Bengel here on this beautiful Tuesday. I hope the sports betting gods were good to everyone this weekend and you didn’t bet on my Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
I’m beginning to think that I might be in for a week of pain when it comes to my sports teams. The Eagles started off the week by getting routed by the Dallas Cowboys in a game that many expected to be close. On the diamond, my Philadelphia Phillies enter Tuesday trailing the Atlanta Braves by 2.5 games in the NL East race. With the regular season wrapping up on Sunday, the Phillies have to make their move now if they want to qualify for the postseason.
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They’re too far back to grab one of the Wild Card spots, but the division can be had if their bats show up. Simply put: someone other than Bryce Harper might have to help out in carrying the offensive load. While I don’t think the Phillies can win it all, it would be nice to have an extra couple of weeks of baseball.
Anyway, let’s get to today’s baseball picks!
All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook
🔥 The Hot Ticket
⚾ Padres at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV
The Pick: Dodgers (-180): The juice is a little high on this one, but it’s definitely going to be worth it. It’s no secret that the Padres are absolutely free-falling and are slated to miss the postseason. Meanwhile, the Dodgers trail the Giants by just two games in the NL West with a week to play, so they still have plenty to play for.
Padres pitcher Yu Darvish has a 6.48 ERA in five starts this month. In addition, Darvish has surrendered at least four runs in three of those starts and even gave up eight earned runs in four innings against the Giants. In his last start against the Dodgers last month, the veteran right-hander gave up four runs on five hits in six innings, so the Dodgers offense can definitely get to him. After all, Los Angeles is tied for the fourth-most home runs in all of baseball on the year.
Key Trend: The Dodgers are 38-13 in their last 51 games as a favorite
💰 The Picks
⚾ Yankees at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV
The Pick: Blue Jays -0.5 First 5 Innings (+100): The Blue Jays are a team that has burned me a few times as of late. However, I feel great about going back to the well in this spot. Much like the Yankees, the Blue Jays are in the thick of the American League Wild Card race and need to win this series.
This will be the first start for Yankees pitcher Jameson Taillon since suffering an ankle injury earlier this month. Taillon had surrendered at least three runs in in his last five starts prior to getting injured. The Yankees starter gave up at least five runs in two of his final three starts before going on the IL. It’s also possible that Taillon is on a short leash in his first start back and I’m confident that the Blue Jays will be able to score a few runs over the first five innings. Plus it doesn’t hurt that you’re getting some positive juice at +100.
Key Trend: The Blue Jays are 5-1 in their last six home games against a team with a winning record
⚾ Diamondbacks at Giants, 9:40 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV
The Pick: Giants -1.5 (-130): This should be a meaningless game late in the regular season with the Diamondbacks only having 50 wins on the year. However, the Giants still have plenty to play for. As I mentioned earlier, they hold a slim two-game lead on the Dodgers for the NL West division crown, so their bats can’t take a back seat. It is worth noting that San Francisco will be without slugger Brandon Belt for at least the next few games as he deals with a broken thumb. Still, the Giants have more than enough firepower to score runs.
After all, they have one of the most lethal offenses in the majors and rank second in all of baseball with 237 home runs. It also doesn’t hurt that Diamondbacks starter Luke Weaver struggles away from Chase Field with a 0-4 record to go along with a 7.94 away ERA on the year. Weaver has been solid in his last four starts since returning from a shoulder injury that had sidelined him in May. However, only one of those starts was away from Chase Field. I’m banking on Weaver returning to his old ways and the Giants crossing the plate several times.
Key Trend: The Giants are 40-13 in their last 53 games against a right-handed starter
