October is one of the best months of the year when it comes to sports betting, especially with MLB playoff odds running wild. Let’s take a look at everything that’s on tap for the MLB playoffs, starting with the three big games coming up on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Houston Astros at Tampa Bay Rays
MLB Playoff Odds at FanDuel: Date: Tuesday, October 8th
- POINT SPREAD: Astros -1.5 at +144 / Rays +1.5 at +124
- TOTAL RUNS: Over 7.5 at -118 / Under 7.5 at -104
- MONEY LINE: Astros at -245 / Rays at +210
The Houston Astros won the first two games of their ALCS with the Tampa Bay Rays, stymying them with their starting pitching. However, the Rays bats finally woke up on Monday as they knocked around Zack Greinke and the Astros. The Rays won 10-3 and are now a win away from tying this series up and forcing a deciding Game 5.
The issue for the Rays will be the pitching matchup on Tuesday. They’ll have to face Justin Verlander again after the Cy Young Award candidate held them to one hit, three walks and no runs through seven innings of work in Game 1. Verlander was crisp on the road this season, posting a 0.76 WHIP while holding opposing batters to an average of .164.
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Meanwhile, the Rays will go with Diego Castillo as their starter in a bit of a risky calculation. Castillo is a fireballer who can throw 100 miles per hour. However, he’s only made six starts this season.
The Rays are basically going in with a plan to use their bullpen extensively. Their bullpen has already pitched a lot as none of their three starters so far have made it past the fifth inning. The Astros have a clear-cut edge with pitching and the NJ online sportsbooks know that.
St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves
MLB Playoff Odds at DraftKings: Date: Wednesday, October 9th
- RUN LINE: Cardinals -1.5 at +165 / Braves -1.5 at -195
- TOTAL RUNS: Over 8 at -109 / Under 8 at -112
- MONEY LINE: Cardinals at -104 / Braves at -110
The St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves series is going the distance. On Wednesday, the two teams will engage in a deciding Game 5 to determine who moves on to the NLCS.
There hasn’t been much between the teams so far as the Cardinals won Game 1, the Braves won Games 2 and 3, and the Cardinals won Game 4. The Braves probably feel like Game 4 slipped away a little bit as they had a one-run lead entering the eighth inning.
They also had opportunities before that to extend the lead, twice ending an inning with bases loaded.
Late-inning heroics have been the story of this series as the two teams combined for seven runs in the ninth inning of Game 1, the Braves scored three runs in the top of the ninth in Game 3 to win 3-1, and then the Braves blew a late-inning lead on Monday.
Jack Flaherty will go for the Cardinals while the Braves will counter with Mike Foltynewicz. These two met in Game 2 when the Braves won 3-0. Flaherty pitched well for the most part but he did give up eight hits, a walk, and three runs in seven innings of work. Foltynewicz outdueled him as he went 7.0 innings with three hits, no walks and no earned runs allowed.
We’ll see if Game 5 plays out as Game 2 did or if the teams will make adjustments for Wednesday’s affair but the Braves probably have the edge given how these pitchers performed the first time.
Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB Playoff Odds at PointsBet: Date: Wednesday, October 9th
- POINT SPREAD: Nationals +1.5 at +171 / Dodgers -1.5 at +146
- TOTAL RUNS: Over 7 at -121 / Under 7 at +100
- MONEY LINE: Nationals at +135 / Dodgers at -160
The Los Angeles Dodgers won 106 games this season – one shy of the most in the Majors – but they’ve been struggling with the Washington Nationals in the NLDS. The two teams will now square off in a deciding Game 5 on Wednesday night.
The pitching matchup for the final game of this series will be tantalizing as Walker Buehler will go for the Dodgers versus Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals. However, Clayton Kershaw will be available if the Dodgers need him as will Patrick Corbin – and possibly even Max Scherzer – for the Nats.
The games haven’t been really close in this series as three of the four have been decided by five runs or more. The winning team has averaged 6.2 runs per game while the losing team has averaged 1.8.
So head to your favorite NJ sports bar and catch all the action!
Other Things To Watch This Week
New York Giants at New England Patriots – Daniel Jones (aka Danny Dimes) will have his toughest to date as he visits the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. The Giants had won his first two starts but were stymied by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. Can Jones muster anything against the Patriots stellar defense?
No. 6 Oklahoma vs No. 11 Texas – The Red River Rivalry will be one of the highlight games of Week 7. The Oklahoma Sooners have yet to lose a game and have a Heisman Trophy hopeful in
New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers – The Philadelphia Flyers got their season started with a very positive 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Head coach Alaign Vigneault won his debut. Now we’ll see if they can keep it going against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night as the Devils (0-1-1) are still in search of their first win of the season.
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See you same time next week when we start off the week with our Best Bets Of The Week!
