Let's get the week started off right with 2 MLB Best Bets for Monday, July 24. We went 1-2 on Friday evening. Both the Phillies and the Giants let us down in grand fashion.
Who would've thought that the Giants would end up getting swept by the lowly Nats? Oh well, that's baseball. Thankfully, the Cubbies kept us from the reverse sweep.
Even after a tough Friday, we're 96-71 this season and hungry for more wins! Let's go! Good luck on the diamond tonight.
Best Bet: Padres -1.5 (-122)
San Diego has burned us a few times this year, but we'll give them another shot tonight against the lowly P'Rats. The Pads are sitting 6 games out of the Wild Card race, so they know how crucial each win is at this point. The main reason for this play, though, is the huge starting pitcher edge.
Yu Darvish has been dealing of late. The veteran righty has only given up 4 total earned runs in his last 3 starts. Darvish's sinker and slider have been a large part of his success. We love his 26% K-rate and the fact that this Pirates roster is only batting .155 against him.
On the flip side, we're fading Quinn Priester, who is making just his second start. We cashed by fading Priester in his first MLB start against Cleveland. He'll probably pitch better tonight, but we still expect Machado, Soto, and Tatis to feast off of him. Lay the big wood with the Padres!
Best Bet: Dodgers (-115)
The Dodgers haven't been as dominant this season, but we still think they're the 2nd best team in baseball behind the Braves. We hate fading Jose Berrios, who has only given up 3 runs over his last 3 outings. However, Michael Grove hasn't been too bad lately either. He's only given up 2 earned runs over his last 2 starts.
The main reason for this play, though, is the ferocious Dodgers lineup. The Boys in Blue just scored 31 runs in a 3-game set against the Rangers. LA has also averaged 7.4 runs per game over their last 10. Toronto has only averaged 4.3 runs over their last 10.
The Dodgers bullpen, which has been shaky at times, has looked much better lately. LA relievers have a combined ERA of only 1.73 their last 10 games. Toronto relievers are sitting at 4.03 over that same timespan.
Oh, it also doesn't hurt that Mookie Betts is batting .438 with 2 homers in his career against Berrios. This is a bargain price on the Dodgers! Lay it!
