MLB Today: Pitchers Look to Rebound
Giants Go for Eighth Win in Row
There was no lack of action around MLB parks on Tuesday as nine of the games finished over the MLB odds total and players were connecting on multiple home runs at various locations from coast to coast.
When looking at the MLB predictions, eight of the underdogs came away with victories in one of the most unpredictable days of the 2023 MLB season.
When looking at MLB news, former Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Sandy Alcantara are among the pitchers slated to start on Wednesday so perhaps they will get the upper hand. Boston’s Rafael Devers, Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez and Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals are among the big names dealing with injuries and carrying questionable tags for Wednesday’s action.
When looking at the MLB spreads, the most competitive of Wednesday’s matchups could be the Cincinnati-San Francisco, Miami-St. Louis and Tampa Bay-Texas showdowns.
According to MLB playoff odds, the Atlanta Braves (+350) have the best odds to win the World Series, followed by the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers coming in at +600, with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros priced at +800.
Giants Go After Eighth Straight
Things are getting pretty interesting in the National League West race.
The San Francisco Giants have ripped off seven wins in a row and currently hold down the top wild-card spot in the National League.
However, the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers haven’t made it easy for the Giants as both teams are 8-2 over the last 10 games.
San Francisco is 1½ games out of first place and Arizona is just a game behind the Giants.
The Giants will end the month of July by starting a series with Arizona and in September will play the Dodgers six times and the Diamondbacks twice.
The pitching has been carrying the Giants as San Francisco’s 3.85 ERA is ninth best in the majors in July. Starting pitchers Alex Cobb and Logan Webb have ERAs of 0.75 and 1.59 in the month to lead the way.
The Giants go for an eighth straight win when they face Cincinnati with Ross Stripling getting the start. The 10½-run total is one of the highest among Wednesday’s games.
FINAL: #Dodgers 10, Orioles 3 pic.twitter.com/I8dr4erh1E
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 19, 2023
Wrapping Up a Wild Night
It was not a fun night to be a pitcher with 12 teams putting up at least 10 runs in the highest scoring day of the 2023 season.
The 197 runs were the most scored this season, topping the mark of 180 on April 3.
The Chicago Cubs led the way with 17 runs against Washington behind Seiya Suzuki’s four hits.
The fireworks started early in Arizona’s wild 16-13 win over Atlanta, with 17 runs scored in the first four innings. Christian Walker homered twice to lead the offensive explosion while Atlanta’s Austin Riley also hit a pair of home runs.
There were three 11-10 finals, with Kansas City topping Detroit behind four hits and three RBIs from Dairon Blanco, the Giants getting a pair of home runs from Wilmes Flores in a win over Cincinnati and the New York Mets using two home runs by Francisco Alvarez to build up a seven-run lead before holding on for the win over the Chicago White Sox.
The Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins also hit double digits in runs scored.
Looking to Bounce Back
The American League East has been making some history this season.
All of the teams in the division reached 50 wins faster than any five teams in the same division in MLB history and they all continue to have winning records.
However, all five teams lost on Tuesday. That is something that hasn’t happened since June 27 when Tampa Bay fell to Arizona, Baltimore lost to Cincinnati, Toronto was shut out by San Francisco, the Boston Red Sox were blown out by Miami and the New York Yankees lost to Oakland.
The Orioles lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second game in a row and failed to take advantage of a chance to move into a tie for first place in the division after Tampa Bay’s loss to Texas.
The Red Sox lost to lowly Oakland 3-0, the New York Yankees managed just two hits in a loss to the Los Angeles Angels while the Toronto Blue Jays gave up four home runs in a loss to San Diego.
Even with those disappointing results, Baltimore, Toronto and Boston are tied for the best record over the last 10 games in the American League.
Three of the six playoff spots in the American League would be held by AL East teams with the Red Sox and Yankees within striking range of defending World Series champion Houston for the final postseason spot in the AL.
Wednesday’s Best Bets
Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians is 6-for-11 against veteran lefty Rich Hill of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although only one of those hits is a home run, it is worth taking a chance on the +390 odds of Ramirez to send one out of the park on Wednesday as he looks to end a nine-game stretch without a home run.
The Red Sox have been one of the hottest teams in the American League before being shut out by the worst team in baseball. Go with starting pitcher Bryan Bello at +250 odds set by the sportsbook to have at least seven strikeouts in a Boston win against Oakland.
Spencer Torkelson hit a pair of home runs and drove in five runs in Detroit’s loss to Kansas City on Tuesday, so that makes the price of +460 for Torkelson to hit another home run pretty tempting.
Staying with the Kansas City-Detroit game, even though Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was 0-for-5 on Tuesday, the +110 number for him to score a run seems like a decent way to proceed.
Injury Update
Here’s a look at the injuries that could impact Wednesday’s action.
Boston third baseman Rafael Devers has missed the last two games for calf tightness and he is questionable to be in the lineup when Boston faces Oakland on Wednesday. Devers leads the Red Sox with 23 home runs and 73 RBIs. That could impact the Las Vegas odds for the game with the Athletics if Devers can’t go.
Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez is questionable after missing the last two games with a hamstring issue.
Seattle outfielder Julio Rodriguez sat out the previous game so keep an eye on his status for Wednesday’s matchup with Minnesota.
It remains to be seen if Baltimore outfielder Cedric Mullins will be in the lineup for the series finale against the Dodgers as he has missed three games in a row with a quad issue.
San Francisco outfielder LaMonte Wade is questionable for Wednesday’s game with Cincinnati. The story is the same for Minnesota Twins designated hitter Byron Buxton
For Cincinnati, pitcher Luke Weaver is dealing with an elbow injury and it is uncertain when he will make his next start.
Atlanta outfielder Eddie Rosario has missed the last two games due to a hamstring issue and his status is up in the air for the matchup with Arizona.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Christopher Morel is questionable with a neck injury. The Cubs are already without shortstop Dansby Swanson and second baseman Nick Madrigal.
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jake Marisnick left the last game with tightness in his hamstring and that leaves him with an uncertain status for Wednesday’s matchup with Baltimore.
Outfielder Randal Grichuk has missed the last three games for Colorado with a groin issue and he is questionable once again. Eloy Jiminez is facing a similar situation for the Chicago White Sox.
A migraine headache kept outfielder Starling Marte out of the last game for the New York Mets so those who take part in live betting might want to keep tabs on his availability.
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