MLB Betting: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not, Aug. 19
Top Contenders
This is the time of the year when games mean even more and the ability to deliver in the middle of a pennant race separates the contenders from the pretenders.
Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros and Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians have their teams sitting atop two of the three divisions in the American League, and they are featured once again in the latest edition of “Who’s Hot and Who’s Not.”
According to the MLB playoff odds, Bregman and the Astros (+165) have the best odds to win the American League pennant.
Reigning American League Most Valuable Player Shohei Ohtani has made previous appearances on this list for his pitching. One of the top candidates for the 2022 MVP award according to the sportsbook, Ohtani’s hitting is what is getting him recognized this week.
Who’s Hot
American League Hitters
- Alex Bregman, Houston Astros 3B: Bregman has at least two hits in four of his last 10 games. He is hitting .432 with 13 runs, six doubles, four home runs and 16 RBIs over that stretch.
.@ABREG_1 drives in a pair on his 200th double of his career. pic.twitter.com/iGhcJq2Szc
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 18, 2022
Bregman (+50000) is still well back in the AL MVP race according to the MLB predictions.
- Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins SS: Correa has a .421 batting average and .553 on-base percentage in his last six contests.
- Nathaniel Lowe, Texas Rangers 1B: Lowe is hitting .400 with five runs and five RBIs over his last nine games.
- Sean Murphy, Oakland Athletics C: Murphy is hitting .364 with three home runs and five walks over his last seven games.
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels DH: Ohtani is hitting .435 with two triples, two home runs and six RBIs in his last six games.
National League Hitters
- Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals 1B: Goldschmidt is hitting .414 with eight runs, four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs over his last eight games. The MLB picks still show Goldschmidt as the favorite to win the NL Most Valuable Player Award.
- Vaughn Grissom, Atlanta Braves IF: Grissom is hitting .393 with three extra-base hits, nine runs scored and five RBIs in his last eight contests.
- Manny Machado, San Diego Padres 3B: Machado has at least two hits in eight of his last nine games. He has a .462 batting average with nine runs, seven doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs during that stretch.
- Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates OF: Reynolds is 8-for-15 with three home runs, eight runs scored and 11 driven in over his last four games.
- Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks 1B: Walker is hitting .474 with six runs, two doubles, three home runs, and six RBIs over his last five games.
American League Pitchers
- Felix Bautista, Baltimore Orioles: Bautista hasn’t allowed a run in his last five appearances. He is 4 for 4 in save opportunities during that span.
- Shane Bieber, Cleveland Guardians: Bieber is 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA over his last four games. He has struck out 30 hitters in 27 innings of work.
- Liam Hendriks, Chicago White Sox: In his last six outings, Hendriks is 6 for 6 in save opportunities with four hits, one run allowed and seven strikeouts in six innings.
- Garrett Hill, Detroit Tigers: Hill is 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA over his last three starts.
- Robbie Ray, Seattle Mariners: After a tough ending to July, Ray is 1-0 with a 2.33 ERA in his last three starts. His 27 strikeouts are the most among American League pitchers in August.
National League Pitchers
- Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins: After missing nearly two months, Cabrera hasn’t allowed a run in 14.2 innings of his last three starts. He has 21 strikeouts in those three games.
- Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks: Gallen has allowed nine hits and no runs with 26 strikeouts in 14.2 innings over his last three starts.
- Tony Gonsolin, Los Angeles Dodgers: Gonsolin’s breakout season continues as he is 3-0 with an 0.48 ERA in his last three starts. He has given up seven hits and struck out 17 in 18⅔ innings during that stretch.
- Jordan Montgomery, St. Louis Cardinals: The recent acquisition is 3-0 with an 0.54 ERA in his last three starts. He has 17 strikeouts and three walks in 16.2 innings.
- Drew Smyly, Chicago Cubs: Smyly is 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA over his last three starts.
Who’s Not
American League Hitters
- Seth Brown, Oakland Athletics 1B: Brown is hitting .131 with one extra-base hit in his last seven contests.
- Jeimer Candelario, Detroit Tigers 3B: Candelario is 1-for-18 over his last five games as his average has dropped from .210 to .196.
- Matt Chapman, Toronto Blue Jays 3B: Chapman is 2-for-20 with one extra-base hit in his last five games.
- Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles 1B: Mountcastle is 2-for-24 over his last six games although one of those hits was a home run.
- Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals IF: Witt has gone 14 games without an extra-base hit and eight straight games without driving in a run. Witt’s American League Rookie of the Year odds have moved to +3000.
National League Hitters
- Pete Alonso, New York Mets 1B: Alonso is 1-for-15 with six strikeouts in his last four games.
- Josh Bell, San Diego Padres 1B: Bell is 1-for-30 with eight strikeouts over his last seven contests.
- JJ Bleday, Miami Marlins OF: Bleday is hitting .094 with one extra-base hit over his last 10 games.
- Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers 3B: Turner doesn’t have an extra-base hit in his last six games. He is batting .136 during that stretch.
- Mike Yastrzemski, San Francisco Giants OF: Yastrzemski is 0-for-19 and has struck out 10 times in his last five games.
American League Pitchers
- Jose Berrios, Toronto Blue Jays: Berrios has given up four home runs, 20 hits, and 15 runs in 14.1 innings over his last three starts.
- Jesse Chavez, Los Angeles Angels: Chavez has allowed 12 hits and eight runs in 5.2 innings in his last six appearances.
- Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox: Giolito has allowed 22 hits and 12 runs in 15 innings during his last three starts.
- Corey Kluber, Tampa Bay Rays: Kluber is 0-1 with a 6.11 ERA in his last three starts.
- Frankie Montas, New York Yankees: Montas is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in his last three starts. He has allowed 18 hits and 14 runs in 14 innings since being traded to New York by the Oakland Athletics.
National League Pitchers
- Madison Bumgarner, Arizona Diamondbacks: Baumgarner has allowed at least five runs in five of his last six starts.
- Justin Dunn, Cincinnati Reds: Dunn is 0-1 with an 8.64 ERA in his last two starts. Dunn has allowed four home runs in 8.2 innings.
- Pablo Lopez, Miami Marlins: Lopez is 0-2 with a 7.04 ERA in his last three starts.
- Sean Manaea, San Diego Padres: In his last three starts, Manaea has allowed 20 hits and 15 runs in 13 innings.
- Miles Mikolas, St. Louis Cardinals: Mikolas is 1-1 with a 7.94 ERA in three August starts. That included an outing when he allowed 14 hits and 10 runs in 2.2 innings.
