Xam’s Daily Gems:
Royals Money Line -165 BetMGM 5 Units
The Royals are riding high after sweeping the White Sox and now have their best pitcher on the mound to start their series against the Tigers. Seth Lugo has been nothing short of FANTASTIC this season, so much so that he has put himself on the outer edge of the Cy Young Award in the American League! His 2.66 ERA and 12-5 record have really put the Royals in contention to make the playoffs. The Tigers counter with Keider Montero, who just hasn’t had much success this year. His 6.38 ERA and 1.45 WHIP is not what the Tigers were expecting when they called up their young prospect. It’s been a tough stretch for the Tigers, who have lost 3 3 straight, 4 out of 5, and 7 of their last 10 games. The biggest reason for their struggles has been the lack of offense. They’re averaging just 3.4 runs per game over their last 10 games, and that’s not going to cut it against Seth Lugo tonight. If the Royals can get their bats going against a struggling pitcher, Lugo SHOULD be able to shut down the Tigers lineup and keep the good times ROLLING in Kansas City!
Braves -1 -154 DraftKings 5 Units
The Braves find themselves back on the upswing, winners of 2 straight and back atop the Wild Card standings in the National League. Veteran Charlie Morton has had an up and down season for the Braves, but he’s been SIGNIFICANTLY better at Truist Park than away from it. He has a 3.32 ERA at home and a 5.14 ERA on the road! His batting average against is lower at home while his WHIP is about the same. He’s coming off a rough start against the Mets in his last time out, so he’s looking to bounce back and keep his team in position to make the playoffs. The Marlins just finished a fire sale of their best players at the Trade Deadline. They traded significant pieces of their roster like Jazz Chisholm Jr., Tanner Scott, Trevor Rogers, Josh Bell, and others. It was the right move for their future, but this team is going to lose A LOT of games the rest of the way. The rest of the team can’t be too happy or motivated to get up and continue the fight, and especially not in a tough road environment like this. Young righty Max Meyer goes for the Marlins. He’s been solid for them to start his career and held the Braves to 1 run over 6 innings back in April. However, this is just a different time with completely different teams. Look for the Braves to smell blood in the water and get the job done against an inferior divisional opponent.