It is officially Labor Day in the United States, and that means we are about one month away from the start of the playoffs in the MLB. The San Fransisco Giants, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Miami Marlins, who swept the Washington Nationals in a four-game series, are all tied for the final NL Wild Card spot. Remember the Cincinnati Reds, zero games back, and the San Diego Padres, who won three games over the Giants this weekend.
In the AL, Texas Rangers’ outfielder Adolis Garcia kept his team within one game of the first-place Seattle Mariners with his walk-off home run over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. The Baltimore Orioles also held onto their lead in the AL East with their series win over the Diamondbacks in the desert.
Monday in the show has 11 games starting between the Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals at 2:10 EST. LWOS has three MLB betting picks of the day on Monday, featuring several AL West rivals squaring off in Texas. As always, remember to tail and BOL!
HOUSTON ASTROS VS. TEXAS RANGERS: ALTUVE o1.5 H+R+RBI (-140)
If the Houston Astros intend to contend this season, they will need Jose Altuve to keep being the dynamic force in their lineup he has been for most of his career. Over the last month, he has slashed .342/.428/.500, including a cycle at Fenway Park vs. the Boston Red Sox.
Altuve has 34 career at-bats vs. Texas Rangers’ starter Andrew Heaney, and he has hit for .324 and two home runs. He has also been good at the new Globe Life Park; he has slashed .296/.386/.534 in 22 games. Heaney’s 4.16 ERA in 2023 is not terrible, but he has given up three or more runs in two of his last three starts and gave up three to Houston earlier this season.
Altuve has hit sliders well all season (.348), and Heaney tends to throw the pitch second-most behind his fastball. Heaney also ranks in the bottom of the league in max exit velocity allowed, meaning he is giving up a lot of hard hits. Look to take Altuve’s batter props in this favorable match-up.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS VS. OAKLAND ATHLETICS: A’S F5 ML (+145)
The Oakland Athletics are officially no longer the worst team in baseball! (Thanks, Kansas City) Also, they have won three straight and are 6-4 in their last ten games, including a three-game sweep over the Los Angeles Angels. The Toronto Blue Jays have been 5-5 in their final ten and are on the outside looking in at the AL Wild Card race.
The pitching match-up should favor the Blue Jays, but looking closer at Berrios numbers indicates struggle in recent games. He has given up ten runs in his last 12 innings pitched and is 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA at the Oakland Coliseum in his career. Ken Waldichuk hasn’t been reliable this season, but a 3.97 ERA in his last seven games shows some improvement, and he has pitched better in home games (4.44) than in away games (7.11).
Berrios had a 5.53 ERA in August, and that is good news for Seth Brown (.417, 1 HR vs. Berrios in his career), Aledmys Diaz (.333), Ryan Noda (.500), and Brent Rooker (.333), who have all had success off of Berrios. Take the A’s five-inning ML or their full-game ML at +160.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES VS. SAN DIEGO PADRES: PHILLIES ML (-112)
Our final pick keeps us out west In California for two teams who should’ve been World Series contenders. The Philadelphia Phillies have kept up their end of the bargain; they are nestled in the first Wild Card spot and are seven games above .500 in the second half of the season. The San Diego Padres’ struggles have been well-documented, but they are 5.5 games out of the Wild Card and are running out of time.
Unfortunately, they will face off against Taijuan Walker, who has a 3.13 ERA in his last 15 games with ten wins. Walker is also 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA against San Diego in his career and has been solid at Petco Park (2.74 ERA, 2-2). The veteran Rich Hill has been anything but reliable for the Friars since joining from Pittsburgh this season. Hill is 0-3 with an 8.50 ERA and has not gone more than five innings.
The Philly bats should come alive in this game. Alec Bohm (.333, 1 HR vs. Hill), J.T. Realmuto (.400), and Trea Turner (.400, 1 HR) will all look to build off previous success against Hill. Look to take the Phillies in this series opener tonight.
Main Photo Credits: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
