Only one game resides on today’s MLB docket, with the Astros looking to steal a win on the road to make this ALCS a little more interesting. No matter how short the slate is, there will always be three angles worth considering from yours truly. Let’s find a sweep.
Here are the best PrizePicks plays worth considering for today, Wednesday, Oct. 18.
Wednesday’s Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
This season: 83-66-9
He’s back. Cristian Javier has found his slider right in the nick of time and is striking out batters at an elite clip once again. He's coming off a phenomenal start against the Twins in the ALDS, firing five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts while allowing just one hit and permitting five walks. The walks have always been a bit of a concern for Javier. Still, seeing him with that unhittable type of stuff is very encouraging, and a pattern going on over his last seven starts now. He has a 33.5% K% across his last 35 2/3 innings and five-plus strikeouts in six of those seven starts.
Only one game resides on today’s MLB docket, with the Astros looking to steal a win on the road to make this ALCS a little more interesting. No matter how short the slate is, there will always be three angles worth considering from yours truly. Let’s find a sweep.
Here are the best PrizePicks plays worth considering for today, Wednesday, Oct. 18.
Wednesday’s Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
This season: 83-66-9
He’s back. Cristian Javier has found his slider right in the nick of time and is striking out batters at an elite clip once again. He's coming off a phenomenal start against the Twins in the ALDS, firing five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts while allowing just one hit and permitting five walks. The walks have always been a bit of a concern for Javier. Still, seeing him with that unhittable type of stuff is very encouraging, and a pattern going on over his last seven starts now. He has a 33.5% K% across his last 35 2/3 innings and five-plus strikeouts in six of those seven starts.
Somehow, Max Scherzer is back pitching just a month after they feared his shoulder injury was season-ending. It’s definitely impressive to see him work this hard in rehab to get himself back on the mound. Yet, that doesn’t mean that he’s necessarily ready for it. This will be his first start in over five weeks.
He threw ~70 pitches in his latest rehab start on Saturday, and Bruce Bochy said that will be around his cap for tonight. Reports from this tune-up outing had his fastball velocity hovering in the low 90s, a significant drop from the 94 MPH fastball velocity he averaged on the year.
The Astros have teed off on “Mad Max” in the past, and the roster owns a .345 xwOBA and 20% K% in 170 combined PAs vs. him. Houston tagged him for seven hits and six earned runs across his three innings during the start before sustaining his injury. Texas has Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning and Jon Gray available to work multiple innings after Scherzer. It’s really just hard to fathom the 40-year-old going deeper than four innings in this type of game.
He’s the hottest hitter on the planet right now. Do I really need to say anything more? The baseball looks like a beach ball to him right now, and he is 9-23 with six dingers and two doubles in his six games this postseason. He is 4-7 with a home run against Scherzer and has gone over this mark in four of the six playoff contests. If they give him a pitch to hit, he is putting it in the seats.
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:
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Tyler Gentile is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tyler, follow him @808Paperboi
