After Wednesday’s games, not much has changed at all in the AL Wild Card race. Cleveland and Oakland are still clinging to their playoff spots, and the Rays are just hoping to stay alive in the race as they battle Houston. We take a look at these teams’ odds once again thanks to Bovada.
The Indians (-1.5 -150 RL, -260 ML) are looking to wrap up a sweep against the Tigers (+1.5 +130 RL, +220) before they travel to Tampa. They’ll call on Mike Clevinger (9-2, 3.00 ERA) to do it, and he’s been spectacular against Detroit in his career. He’ll face Daniel Norris (3-10, 4.70 ERA), who can’t pick up wins if he keeps having his pitch count limited. The total is still low here though, as Norris has been excellent lately. I expect he will get knocked out early though and look for a big Tigers win, and the over (O/U 8.5).
Should the Indians win, Oakland (-1.5 -135 RL, -205 ML) will want to keep pace by beating on the Royals (+1.5 +115 RL, +175 ML) once again. That shouldn’t be too hard with the Royals sending Glenn Sparkman (3-9, 5.52 ERA) to the mound, who’s been atrocious lately. They should be able to keep the Royals pretty quiet as well, as Chris Bassitt (9-5, 3.59 ERA) has been strong in his past five starts, sporting a 2.05 ERA. Look for a big A’s win here, so pick them and the over. (O/U 10.0)
Finally, let’s turn back to the NL and peek at the Mets (+1.5 -130 RL, +169 ML) and Cubs (-1.5 +110 RL, -198 ML), as the Mets hope to salvage a win from the series and not fall too far behind in the playoff race. They’re hoping Jacob deGrom (8-7, 2.56 ERA) is the ticket to pick up a win, but the line is favoring the Cubs with Jon Lester (10-9, 4.49). While they couldn’t make a full come back to win on Wednesday, the Mets had the momentum by the end of the game, and they look hungry to prove they are still in this thing. Pick them to win the moneyline, and the over. (O/U 7.5)
Tonin’s record yesterday: 3-6
Tonin’s record this season: 108-85
