MLB Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (9/30)
The MLB playoffs kick off today, starting with the Wild Card round. Each team competes in a best-of-three series, so winning the first matchup is crucial. Each team will send out its best starter. Here are our top MLB picks & predictions for Tuesday, September 30th.
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Tuesday's Best MLB Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Detroit Tigers (-169) at Cleveland Guardians (+138) | O/U 6.0 (-114/-107)
The Tigers had one of the biggest collapses we've seen in recent history. Coming into September, they held a commanding 10-game lead, but they lost 13 of their final 16 games, and the Guardians climbed over them to win the American League Central. Now they have to play a three-game series on the road against that same Cleveland team.
They need an edge in a short series, so they'll send the best pitcher in baseball to the mound today. Tarik Skubal could be on his way to a second straight American League Cy Young Award, and he’s their most reliable player. His last two starts were against the Guardians, and he was phenomenal: 12 total innings, two earned runs and 17 strikeouts. However, his teammates couldn't do their part, and Detroit lost both games.
Gavin Williams matched up with Skubal in one of those games, and he went six innings and allowed two earned runs. Williams picked up wins in his final two starts of the season against Detroit. In three total starts against them, he allowed two or fewer runs in each.
The total has gone under in two of Skubal's four starts against the Guardians and in two of Williams' three starts. Tigers bats have struggled down the stretch, and the Guardians’ offense was able to come through in the last series.
Pick: Guardians Moneyline (+138)
Boston Red Sox (+112) at New York Yankees (-136) | O/U 7.0 (-110/-110)
When division rivals face each other in the playoffs, it just elevates the excitement. That is especially true when it is the Yankees and Red Sox, one of the biggest rivalries in sports. These two teams have competed in some classic playoff series, and this has a chance to be another.
The best part about the first game of the series is that both teams send out their best pitcher. For New York, it’s Max Fried, whose first year with the Yankees couldn't have gone any better with a career-high 19 wins and a fifth season with a sub-3.00 ERA. He's also put together some fantastic starts against the Red Sox, going a total of 18.1 innings and allowing just four earned runs in three starts. Unfortunately, the Yankees were shut out in two of those games.
Garrett Crochet didn't pitch in any of those matchups, but he's been successful against the Yankees. In his four outings against New York this season, he's had a quality start in three, and the Red Sox won each of them. He's also been one of the top pitchers in the American League, finishing second with 18 wins, third in ERA (2.58) and first with 11.1 strikeouts per nine.
Two of the best pitchers in the league are trying to get an edge in a three-game series; it has all the makings of a fantastic pitchers’ duel.
Pick: Under 7.0 Runs (-110)