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Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
Here are our best bets for Wednesday, Aug. 31:
TOP PLAY
The play: MLB money line, Orioles over Guardians
The odds/bet: +150 ($30 to win $45)
The book: Caesars Sportsbook
Time/TV: 5:10 p.m. (MLB TV)
Our take: Baltimore is still clinging to wild-card hopes in the American League, and they have been playing well enough of late to continue this run into late September. If they are going to get there, they have to keep winning series, which means this evening’s game is more important than most.
Jordan Lyles has yet to pitch against Cleveland this season, and he broke through a mini rough patch in his last game with a seven-inning win against the White Sox last week to help the Orioles begin a three-game winning streak. He is in a similar situation as that last outing, as his team is coming off two losses in a row for just the third time this month.
For the Guardians, last time Triston McKenzie pitched against the O’s back on June 4, he allowed five earned runs in a loss, and he has been very inconsistent the past month.
Great value on Baltimore here in an early evening start.
RUN BONANZA IN CINCY
The play: MLB total, Cardinals at Reds over 9.5 runs
The odds/bet: +100 ($10 to win $10)
The book: Caesars Sportsbook
Time/TV: 5:40 p.m. (MLB TV)
Our take: Not only have both of these teams been involved in a lot of overs the past month or so, but so have these starting pitchers – Jose Quintana for the Cardinals and Mike Minor for the Reds (who has an ERA well north of 6).
In fact, every game Quintana has pitched in this month has gone over, and St. Louis as a team just ended a streak of five consecutive games going over.
The weather in Cincinnati this evening should be perfect with little win, and that means balls could be flying all over Great American Ballpark.
HOW WE’VE FARED
MLB total: Mariners-Tigers under 7.5 runs (LOST $31.50)
MLB money line: Royals over White Sox (WON $11)
Tuesday’s profit/loss: -$20.50 (1-1)
Total for the week: -$22.40 (2-3)
Total for August: +$56.30 (31-33)
Total for 2022: -$83.80 (222-248)
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, a $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).