MLB Odds and Picks
By: Micah Roberts
Sportingnews
LAS VEGAS -- Since it's so late in the season, maybe it's okay to say this past weekend of baseball offered the year's most astonishing array of series, four of which featured clashes between potential playoff teams. It was sort of a judgment day, and what we witnessed will give us lots to think about over the next six weeks as we start talking about playoff matchups and who has a great chance at winning the World Series.
Take the Brewers – a team with question marks in the starting rotation – going into L.A. and sweeping the Dodgers, beating Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw in the first two games and completing the deal Sunday vs. Dan Haren. Milwaukee has beaten the Dodgers five out of six games this season. If these two meet in October, this rout will surely be on L.A.’s minds, while the Brewers beam with confidence, knowing they can take down the dynamic duo.
The Braves had been struggling, losing 12 of their last 15 games before their weekend series against Oakland, but promptly swept the A’s. Closer Craig Kimbrel showed his value in back-to-back 4-3 wins on Saturday and Sunday. Just when we thought we were saying goodbye to the Braves, they play to their strengths and come up huge to put themselves right back in the wild-card chase.
The A’s, who were 10-2 in interleague play before facing Atlanta, continue to struggle. Oakland is now on a season-high five-game losing streak, just 7-10 in August and a percentage point behind the Angels for the AL West lead.
The Nationals continue to roll, as they’ve won six straight and nine of 11 after sweeping three from the reeling Pirates. The Nats maintained their six-game lead over the Braves in the NL East, while the Pirates’ five-game losing streak is their longest since 2012 and has dropped them 1.5-games behind the final NL wild-card position.
The Tigers lost two of three at home to the Mariners and have now dropped eight of their last 12; they are now a half-game behind Seattle for the final AL wild-card spot. The Mariners have won 11 of 15 games in August, as the offense has exploded by averaging five runs a game, with Robinson Cano (.332, 68 RBI) proving his worthiness as an AL MVP candidate.
Key series beginning Monday
The Braves and Pirates -- two teams battling for the final NL wild-card spot, each 1.5 games back -- meet in Pittsburgh for a three-game set. The Braves are rolling with confidence, while the Pirates can’t wait for Andrew McCutchen to return. The good news for Pittsburgh is that home is where the heart is – their 39-26 home record is the best in the NL. The Pirates are -135 favorites to win the series, and Game 1 features Vance Worley as a short favorite over Ervin Santana
There are also several very good teams that can keep their rolls going against lesser opponents: the Angels (-160 to wins series) play at Fenway Park; Seattle (-135) visits Philadelphia; Baltimore (-110) is at the White Sox; and Cincinnati visits St. Louis (-170) in what is always an entertaining NL Central battle.
Monday’s selections:
Pirates (Worley) -112 vs. Braves, 7:05 p.m. ET
Mariners/Phillies OVER 8.5 (-115), 7:05 p.m. ET
Angels/Red Sox OVER 9 (-120), 7:10 p.m. ET
