What a fantastic weekend of baseball. I was wrong about the Nats, and they’ve gone and taken a healthy 4 game lead over the field with their Wild Card spot. The Yankees also beat the Dodgers in what could be a preview of the World Series (I bet it’s not). Let’s take a look at today’s most interesting matchups with odds from Bovada.
The Cardinals (+1.5 -165 RL, +113) might be top dog in the NL Central right now, but the Brewers (-1.5 +145, -133 ML) still have enough time to catch them. To hold off the Brewers, Adam Wainwright (9-9, 4.51 ERA) gets the start, who had a hard time against them in his last outing. Opposing him is Gio Gonzalez (2-1, 3.64 ERA), who is looking for a win after seven straight no-decisions. The Brewers look favored here simply because Gonzalez has the better stat line, but the Cardinals are hot. Pick against the line here and bet the Cardinals to win, with the under (O/U 9.5).
The Athletics (-1.5 EVEN RL, -164 ML) are still nipping at that final AL Wild Card spot, and face the Royals (+1.5 -120 RL, +134 ML). Homer Bailey (11-8, 5.06 ERA) faces his old team, but he’s been worse since joining Oakland, so factor that in. Facing him is Brad Keller (8-13, 3.95 ERA), who’s competing for most losses in the league, just one behind Aaron Sanchez. Bailey’s been much better recently, so this looks like a pick for the A’s and the over (O/U 9.0).
The Dodgers (-1.5 EVEN RL, -164 ML) come off a hard weekend and face their old punching bag, the Padres (+1.5 -120 RL, +142 ML). They’ll be hoping to pile on the runs against Eric Lauer (6-8, 4.47 ERA), who has specialized in keeping the Dodgers quiet this year. Against him they’ll start rookie Dustin May (1-2, 4.26 ERA), who’s hoping to break into the team’s postseason roster. With the Dodgers hungry after their loss to the Yankees, I like them to eke out a close win, so pick them for the money line and the under (O/U 8.5).
Tonin’s record yesterday: 3-4
Tonin’s record this season: 92-74
