The Best Bets series lives to die another day! They had us in the first half, I’m not going to lie. Things were looking bleak as the nightcap between the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers got underway. As not a single one of our dinger picks has cashed yet. This is not to say that the night had been a total wash up to this point. Spencer Strider, Matt Olson, and the Atlanta Braves took care of business, cashing our auxiliary picks. However, Tuesdays are for dingers, so not hitting one certainly would have left a bad taste in my mouth.
Then deep into the final game of the night, and well after midnight here on the east coast, our savior stepped up to the plate. Markus “Mookie” Lynn Betts, takes the rookie reliever Freddy Tarnok deep into the seats, and single-handedly saves our night!
Best Bets August 2nd
Day 20 Recap: 3-3-1 (+1.52u) (Includes $70 in free bets @ 75% conversion)
Sean Murphy 1+ HR ❌❌
Fernando Tatis Jr. 1+ HR ❌❌
Brandon Nimmo 1+ HR ⚠️⚠️ VOID
Luis Robert Jr. 1+ HR ❌❌
Mookie Betts 1+ HR ✅✅
Strider 9 Ks / Braves Win ✅✅
Olson RBI ✅✅
Best Bets Record
Overall: 49-52-5 (+6.88U)
Yesterday: 3-3-1 (+1.52U)
On to Today’s Best Bets!
Tigers @ Pirates
In today’s first play of the day, we nestle in between the three rivers of PNC Park for a matchup between the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates took game one of this series 4-1, but the Tigers will look to bite back tonight with their ace on the mound. Eduardo Rodriguez, the proverbial belle of the ball during MLB’s deadline day, ended up staying put after blocking a potential move to the Dodgers. This strikes me as a bet on himself and that he will look to test the open market after this Cy Young caliber season he is putting together. He will have a chance to put his money where his mouth is this afternoon against a struggling Pirates team.
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The Pick: SGP Eduardo Rodriguez Over 5.5 Ks & Tigers +3.5 (-117) 1U
Twins @ Cardinals
Today’s second play takes place at Busch Stadium for the second game of a three-game set between the Minnesota Twins and the St. Louis Cardinals. Two teams with vastly different mindsets as we enter the home stretch of the 2023 season. The Cardinals were one of MLB’s biggest sellers at the deadline dealing SP Jack Flaherty, SS Paul DeJong, and RP Jordan Hicks. The Twins on the other hand did absolutely nothing. Maybe this was the plan all along, as they own sole possession of the lead in the AL Central, two games clear of the Cleveland Guardians. However, their 55-53 record, tells me that this roster could have used some bolstering. Nonetheless, they will have an opportunity to prove themselves tonight.
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The Pick: Twins F5 -0.5 (-110) 1U
PPD Joe Ryan 6+ Ks / Twins to Win (+155) 0.5U
Additional Best Bets
SGP: Manny Machado & Juan Soto 1+ RBI (+196) 0.25U
SGP: Freddie Freeman 2+ Bases & 1+ Runs (+133) 0.25U
Main photo credits:
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Spencer Strider, Matt Olson, Freddy Tarnok, Sean Murphy, Fernando Tatis Jr., Brandon Nimmo, Luis Robert Jr., Mookie Betts, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jack Flaherty, Paul DeJong, Jordan Hicks, Joe Ryan, Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Freddie Freeman
