The MLB season is starting to draw to a close, with the wild card games now less than a month away. It’s beginning to look as though the San Diego Padres have missed their golden opportunity after getting off to a great start this year, while the San Francisco Giants are beginning to look like a World Series-capable team. There are still plenty of games left to be played and it’s possible that some movement is seen, but the fact that there will only be ten teams in the postseason – not 16 like last year – means that finding a spot is significantly more difficult. Some of today’s games could make a difference.
Cubs Face the Phillies
The National League (NL) wild-card race, at this point, depends only on who wants it the least. The Cincinnati Reds have lost two in a row and the Padres registered four straight losses, allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to stay in the hunt at just 2.5 games back. That says a lot, considering the Phillies have gone 3-7 over their last ten games. Philly has a good shot to climb the ranks when they face the Chicago Cubs today. Chicago found nothing solid over the weekend when they went up against the Giants, giving up 27 runs in three games.
There are only three weeks left in the season and the Phillies need to win if they want to move up. Oddsmakers think they have a good shot, giving them -205 on the moneyline against the Cubs’ +188. The Cubs haven’t had to travel much lately, and this could be their downfall. The Over/Under of 9.5 runs is probably a little higher than it should be, which is why backing the Under at -115 is a good way to go.
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This is one of the games that doesn’t matter too much this season. The Chicago White Sox are already in the postseason, with a strong position in the NL Central, but the LA Angels are too far back to think about making a run for it. Still, the Angels want to win, as that would give them building power to prepare for next year. With the White Sox up 12 games in the NL Central and the Angels having dropped five of their last seven, the writing’s on the wall tonight when the two meet at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.
The White Sox have a commanding -278 on the moneyline, while the Angels are getting +235. There’s not much money to be made off a Chicago win, but taking the -1.5 (-125) runline will give a little boost. The Over/Under of 8 runs should be an easy goal to reach, with the White Sox doing all the work, and taking the Over at -119 will put a little extra money in the bank.
Indians and Twins Start Doubleheader
The Cleveland Indians have had a bad run lately, recording six losses in seven games. They’re also 0-4 in the opening game of their last four doubleheaders. Cleveland will face the Minnesota Twins tonight in the opener of a doubleheader and are determined to turn those stats around. However, wanting to achieve that goal and actually achieving it are two different things. This is not going to be an easy game.
The game is at Target Field in Minnesota and the Twins, despite having to play a make-up game against the New York Yankees last night, are feeling good. The Indians, however, were just massacred on Sunday by the Milwaukee Brewers, 11-1. That game found them only getting four hits, which doesn’t speak highly of the offense. However, the lines are close for this game, with the Twins getting -112 and the Indians, +102. The home team gets the win and the Over/Under of 6.5 runs, despite the Indians’ recent troubles, is broken. Backing the Over at +102 will provide a surprising score.
