(Photo credit: Vincent Carchietta – Imagn Images) Now that we have entered September, the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoff landscape is taking shape, with about a dozen games remaining in the regular season.
As the season winds down, we're looking at some key series, including the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, two of my three top picks for this list.
Here are three bets I highly recommend you consider for Sunday, September 15th.
Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees
The total score between the Red Sox and Yankees is 8.5 points, and I'm lashing out here. The two pitchers on the mound in this game were Kurt Crawford of the Red Sox and Carlos Rodon of the Yankees.
Crawford is 8-14 with a 4.09 ERA on the season, while Rodon is 14-9 with a 4.15 ERA. However, they are two of the top three pitchers in HR/9, with Crawford leading the majors at 1.67 and Rodon at 1.59.
In his last game against Kansas City, Rodon allowed four runs (two earned) in six innings, but he also gave up two home runs.
As for Crawford, he faced Baltimore and allowed 3 runs, including 2 home runs, in 6 1/3 innings.
Each player has hit four home runs in the last five games, and Yankee Stadium isn't exactly a challenging ballpark.
The Yankees are second in the league with 4.98 runs per game, and the Red Sox are ninth with 4.75. So we have two offenses that can score, each facing pitchers giving up the long ball.
Yes, it's easy to over-bet here.
Pick: FanDuel Sportsbook Over 8.5 points (-115)
Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees
With the synopsis of why I took over, I also led Aaron Judge to a +240 home run mark.
Judge is batting .321 this season, with an OBP of .453 and a slugging percentage of .687. He leads baseball with 52 home runs this season.
While he's only played in one of his last five games, he'll be facing off against Crawford here — not only a pitcher prone to home runs, but one Judge has a history of good against. .
In 19 at-bats, Judge batted . 316 against Crawford and hit three home runs.
This would mark Judge's second home run in this series after Friday's go-ahead grand slam, and I think he'll be hitting one in every nine home runs against the sport's leaders.
Pick: Aaron Judge hits home run on FanDuel (+240)
Chicago Cubs vs Colorado Rockies
My best bet is the game at Coors Field. That may seem unbelievable given the overall situation, but 11.5 points is too much to risk.
Neither pitcher on the mound is exactly in Cy Young consideration, and the Cubs and Rockies are averaging 12.5 runs per game in this series, but I think we'll get away with it by the end of the game. this dilemma.
Cal Quantrill is On the home team's hill. He was 8-9 with a 4.63 ERA but allowed three runs or fewer in three of four games in August. Quantrill had a 4.26 ERA in 12 home starts.
Cantrell's opponent is Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks, who actually had a pretty solid career with the Coors. He was 2-1 with a 3.64 ERA, 12 earned runs, and just 2 home runs in 29 2/3 innings.
I could see somewhere around nine to ten, but considering how good Hendrix has been here and how low Quantrill has been lately, I don't think we're hitting a twelve here.
Pick: FanDuel Under 11.5 points (-122)
