Photo courtesy of Laurence Kesterson | AP Photo
We have a fully loaded slate of MLB games featuring 16 matchups, including a doubleheader to kick off the afternoon between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals at 4:10 p.m. ET. The pair of games are scheduled to end the slate at 10:10 p.m. between the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers, while the New York Yankees battle the Seattle Mariners.
Despite a full slate there aren’t many thrilling matchups, so we will keep this short and sweet today after a down day yesterday.
Aug. 7 Results: 5-9
Note: Odds via DraftKings.
The Plays
Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (-110)
Why: The Phillies are a sneaky team, despite losing Bryce Harper. They are eighth in the league on the run line (58-50) while also winning five of their last six games. Philadelphia is sending RHP Zack Wheeler to the mound, who owns a 2.69 ERA across 120.2 innings while racking up 129 strikeouts. The Miami Marlins are sending lefty Braxton Garrett to the hill who owns a respectable 3.88 ERA in 58 innings.
Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+100)
When in doubt, just take the Dodgers on the run line. The Dodgers have won all five matchups against the Minnesota Twins this season with a 2+ run victory in four of those. The Dodgers are sending LHP Julio Urías and the Twins aren’t as good against lefties as they are against righties, owning a .245 batting average and .718 OPS against southpaws this year. With the way the Dodgers have been playing, I’d just take them on the run line almost every game.
Los Angeles Angels vs. Oakland Athletics – Game Total Under 6.5 (+100)
Why: The over/under this year at the Oakland Coliseum is a measly 22-27-4, while teams average 7.5 runs per game there. Four of the last five matchups between Oakland and the Angels have finished lower than this run total. With the stud two-way player Shohei Ohtani on the mound, I don’t see these teams combining for six or more runs.
The Props
Wheeler – Over 6.5 strikeouts (-140)
Why: Wheeler has hit the over in two straight starts, but those are the only times the over has cashed in his last six starts. Wheeler doesn’t allow many walks (seven over his last 46 innings), which means he could go deep against a weak Marlins team that hasn’t scored more than three runs in their last seven games. He seems to be on the right trend to rack up a solid number of strikeouts so take the over.
RHP Shohei Ohtani – At Least eight strikeouts (TBD)
Why: Just like his last start, go to the “At Least” tab and put a unit down on eight, nine, 10, 11 and 12 strikeouts. Ohtani only had seven Ks in his last outing but previously registered double-digits in six straight starts. Beware though, the team that snapped his double-digit strikeout streak was none other than the Oakland A’s, who Ohtani will pitch against.
