Tuesday in the show had just about everything you could have asked for: Christian Encarnacion-Strand delivered a walk-off single for the Cincinnati Reds to take down the surging Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays’ Jose Lowe gave a three-run, walk-off homer to beat their division rivals Boston Red Sox, and the Kansas City Royals won on their second walk-off balk of the year over the Chicago White Sox.
Another 2-1 day yesterday for LWOS picks. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins were tied at 3-3 in the 8th inning before Bryan De La Cruz and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a two-run and solo home runs to give their team a huge victory. Our two picks that won were both overs, first in the Chicago White Sox – Kansas City Royals game, where they scored 13 combined (thanks to a five-run second inning from Chicago), and The Houston Astros rode three Jose Altuve home runs for a 14-1 win over the Texas Rangers.
Wednesday in the show has another full slate of games all day, and LWOS has three MLB bets to target, including a red-hot pitcher. Remember to tail and BOL!
TORONTO BLUE JAYS VS. OAKLAND ATHLETICS: BLUE JAYS ML (-180)
Our first pick takes us to the Bay Area for the Toronto Blue Jays, going for the sweep of the Oakland Athletics. The Blue Jays have picked up their play recently, going 7-3 in their last ten games, and have a three-game win streak. The Athletics’ struggles have been well known: a bad team, a lousy stadium, and a bad owner leave them with the worst record in baseball. The Blue Jays have outscored the A’s 36-15 this year, and the A’s have a history of 1-4 against them.
Blue Jays’ starter Hyun Jin Ryu has been brilliant in his injury-shortened 2023. When healthy, he is 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA with 23 strikeouts. Oakland has tended to struggle with left-handed pitching this season. They are 28th in batting average, 27th in OBP, and 24th in wRC+.
On the other side, J.P. Sears has not been good recently for the A’s. He has a 5.91 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP in his last 35 innings pitched. Contrary to Oakland, the Blue Jays have been one of the best teams in the league against LHP. Their batting average (.284, 3rd), OBP (.354, 2nd), and wRC+ (117, 5th) are all in the top five in the league. Look for the Blue Jays to sweep today.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES VS. SAN DIEGO PADRES: HARPER o1.5 H+R+RBI (-140)
We stay west for our next pick from the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres game. Philly slugger Bryce Harper gets to face off against Michael Wacha, who he has hit .294 against in his career with 3 RBIs. Harper currently ranks in the top 15% in batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS.
In 51 career games vs. San Diego, Harper has hit .300 and 13 home runs with a .967 OPS. For Wacha, he has always struggled vs. Philadelphia; he has a 4.98 ERA in 43.1 innings pitched and has given up six long balls.
Look to take Harper’s H+R+RBI prop, or his home run (+475) and walk (+170) have good value, too.
SEATTLE MARINERS VS. CINCINNATI REDS: GILBERT o6.5 K’s (+105)
Seattle Mariners ace Logan Gilbert has quietly been one of the AL’s best pitchers over the past few months. He has gone 4-0 in his last seven starts, with a 2.70 ERA in 43.1 innings and 46 strikeouts. He faces a Cincinnati Reds side that has struggled against RHP this year.
The Reds have more strikeouts against RHP than any other National League team and have the NL’s third-highest k% against RHP (24.3%). Cincinnati ranks in the league’s bottom half in BA, OBP, and wRC+ against right-handers this season.
Gilbert has never faced the Reds but has a 2.73 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 86.2 innings against inter-league opponents. Gilbert has had better splits on the road for his career, too. He ranks better in ERA (3.57 vs. 3.88) and strikeouts (244 vs. 220). Look for Gilbert to continue his hot streak in Cincinnati.
Main Photo Credits: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
