Xam’s Daily Gems:
Padres/Guardians ML Parlay +141 FanDuel 5 Units
The Padres are riding high, having won 4 straight games and coming off a dominant 9 run win yesterday. Now, they send ace Dylan Cease to the mound to go for the sweep. Cease is coming off back-to-back scoreless outings, going 13 innings over this stretch. In 4 of his last 5 starts, he’s pitched well enough to earn a quality start, including dominating the Nationals for 7 scoreless innings back on June 26th. Southpaw Patrick Corbin goes for the Nationals, and it’s been a struggle to say the least. He has a 5.35 ERA on the year and a 6.08 ERA during day games, but he’s been better recently, pitching to the tune of a 3.97 ERA. However, this is just a bad matchup for the Nationals. With the blowout yesterday, the Padres will have ALL of their premium relievers ready to go, and the Padres need EVERY win they can get as they come into play tied for the last wildcard spot.
The Guardians are going for a series win against the Tigers after winning the last 2 games of this 4-game series. Gavin Williams goes for the Guardians. He’s been inconsistent this year but his best start came on the road against the Tigers when he pitched 5.1 scoreless innings. The Guardians have proven to be a DOMINANT home team this year, coming into today with a 33-14 home record. The Tigers will likely use Kenta Maeda in this game at some point, but it can also turn into a bullpen game essentially. It’s a lot to ask for of the Tigers to go on the road and contain this powerful Guardians lineup. Look for the Guardians to come out ready to go and get the series win!
Orioles/Rangers ML Parlay -108 FanDuel 5 Units
The Orioles send ace Corbin Burnes to the mound in a game they REALLY need! They have lost 7 of their last 10 games and their last 3 games overall. The Orioles are only up by 1.5 games on the Yankees for the AL East division, so these losses are hard to swallow. Corbin Burnes has been EXCELLENT in his first year with the Orioles. He has a 2.38 ERA and has consistently dominated all year. He’s probably going to end up garnering AL Cy Young award consideration. Roddery Munoz goes for the Marlins and he has had a TERRIBLE time of it recently this year. His 5.14 ERA across 11 starts sure leaves A LOT to be desired. The Orioles are the better team despite how this series has gone AND they have the edge here. Look for the Orioles to play with URGENCY and for manager Brandon Hyde to pull out ALL of the stops with his bullpen today.
Max Scherzer goes for the Rangers and if there was EVER time for him to bounce back into what the Rangers thought they were getting, it’s this start. It doesn’t get much better than pitching at home to the worst offensive team in the sport. The White Sox are well on their way to one of the WORST seasons in baseball, while the Rangers are desperately trying to crawl back into the wild card race. With the blowout yesterday, the Rangers didn’t need to use top tier relievers, so they should ALL BE READY to go for the 4-game sweep tonight!
Dodgers Money Line -142 FanDuel 5 Units
Clayton Kershaw makes his long-anticipated return to the mound as he finally makes his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Chavez Ravine is going to be ABSOLUTELY ELECTRIC today as the Dodgers go for the series win against the hated division rival Giants. The Dodgers have been their usual selves this year, coming into today 19 games over .500 and with a comfortable lead in the NL West. However, they still have a shot at the top spot in the National League, so every single game is important. Coming off the loss yesterday, manager Dave Roberts knows this game is important. Splitting a 4-game series at home against a division rival wouldn’t be a good look. The Giants counter with their own ace, Logan Webb. He’s a good pitcher, of course, but he’s struggled recently; he has a 4.91 ERA in his last 7 starts, 4.12 ERA in his last 15, and on the road this year his ERA is 4.09. In his last 2 starts, he’s given up 11 runs! Look for the DOdgers to have the energy and be ready to go.
Braves -1 +100 DraftKings 5 Units
The top 2 wild card teams in the NL are facing off in a 4-game series in a MASSIVE series. The Braves have lost 4 straight games and frankly have looked even worse when watching them. They NEED their ace, Chris Sale, to be his usual self tonight. Sale may be the biggest pleasant surprise of the season right now, and he’s positioning himself to get serious NL Cy Young award consideration. They have dealt with injuries but that can’t be an excuse. The Mets are riding high after sweeping the Subway Series, but this is a different beast. The Braves are battle tested and KNOW what it takes to win. Expect manager Brian Snitker to pull out ALL THE STOPS when it comes to his bullpen as well. The Mets are going with Luis Severino, who has struggled in his last 7 starts, to the tune of a 4.12 ERA.
Clayton Kershaw Over 4.5 Ks -128 FanDuel
Kershaw has ALWAYS had strikeout stuff and the Dodgers may be more inclined to let Kershaw pitch deep into this game, given their bullpen usage recently. The Dodgers haven’t had a starting pitcher go longer than 5.1 innings since the All-Star break! That’s pretty incredible when you think about that. Last year, despite dealing with shoulder issues, Kershaw AVERAGED 6.4 strikeouts per home start. He’s a pitcher with confidence and if he can get the early game jitters out of the way, SHOULD be able to clear this number!