Top 5 MLB Betting Picks for Tuesday, September 8th
There are 18 games to be played today. It is not quite the 20 we had in one day last week, but nonetheless bettors will have a lot of options to sift through. Be patient and do not overload your card more than you normally would simply because there are more games being played. And lastly, with so many doubleheaders on the schedule be sure to recognize those games versus other games as seven-inning games compared to nine-inning games can be vastly different from a betting perspective.
Here are my MLB top betting plays for Tuesday. (Odds courtesy DraftKings Sportsbook):
YTD: 69-59-2 (+15.07 units)
Check out our daily MLB consensus game odds here >>
Indians -1.5 runs (-114)
The Cleveland Indians have won five of their last six games and have covered the runline in four of those wins. They are -245 moneyline favorites, so the -114 runline odds in comparison looks like a steal. We will gladly give up the insurance of winning by one run for odds that are less than half the full game line. Royals starter Jakob Junis (0-1, 4.32 ERA) has yet to make it to the fifth inning in any of his four starts this year. That includes a four-inning two-run game in his last start against the Indians. Current Cleveland hitters are batting .348 and slugging .574 against Junis in 154 career plate appearances, so another offensive breakout appears imminent.
White Sox to Lead After Three Innings (+110)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are slow starters of late, having trailed after three innings in each of their last four games. Meanwhile, the White Sox have won four straight games and are 16-4 in their last 20. Pirates starter Joe Musgrove (0-4, 6.62 ERA) is making just his second start since coming off the IL. He is expected to be allowed to go deeper in the game than his three-inning, two-run outing against the Cubs. I expect there to still be some rust and given the fact that White Sox starter Dylan Cease (5-2, 3.29 ERA) has never faced the Pirates, he has the advantage early in the game.
New York Mets Team Total OVER 5.5 runs (-105)
The New York Mets offense is on fire right now. They have scored at least five runs in six of their last seven games, including the two games they played in Baltimore last week. In one of those games, the Mets faced tonight’s starter John Means and roughed him up for four runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings. The over is 4-0-1 in the Mets last five interleague games and is 7-1 in the Mets last eight series openers. Given New York hitters are batting .348 and slugging .652 against Means, we like them to do their part in scoring runs.
Brewers-Tigers OVER 0.5 Runs in the First Inning (-113)
It is not often a first-inning run prop is juiced to the over, so nevertheless it piqued our interest. The full-game over has hit in the last five games between these teams. Command is also an issue with these two starting pitchers, as Adrian Houser and Spencer Turnbull have combined for 35 walks in 72.2 innings. With each of their WHIPs north of 1.30, expect there to be traffic on the basepaths early in this one.
Cubs ML (-121)
The Chicago Cubs look to build off the momentum of ending their three-game losing streak in the last game of their series with the Cardinals when they take on the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs are 35-16 in the last 51 meetings with the Reds at Wrigley. They are 4-3 head-to-head against the Reds this year and are 12-6 SU as home favorites. Cubs starter Alec Mills (3-3, 5-50 ERA) has held current Reds hitters to a .148 BA in 62 career plate appearances. Chicago will have extra motivation to win the series opener as they face Trevor Bauer and Sonny Gray in the next two games. The Cubs are one of baseball’s most public teams so get onside now before the line rises.
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.