There are only two weeks left in the regular season, leaving prime betting
opportunities few and far between. The two big favorites today? The Phillies (-205) on the road against the Astros and the Rangers (-235) at Mariners. Are either of these
matchups included in our MLB picks of the day?
Yankees vs. Rays
Hiroki Kuroda (NYY): 13-10, 3.17 ERA, 1.12 WHIP
Matt Moore (TB): 10-10, 3.68 ERA, 1.35 WHIP
What am I missing? We've got two top pitchers going today,
yet the total is at nine runs.
Kuroda and Moore have been staples in their respective
team's rotations throughout the season and will be meeting up for the second
time in two weeks. That game ended 6-4 in New York's favor, but I see today's
ending UNDER the O/U.
Kuroda's day-time numbers are downright frightening. He's
4-1 with a 0.84 ERA in six starts and has struck out 34 batters while walking
just five.
Plus, he's been fantastic at Yankee Stadium this season,
going 9-5 with a 2.38 ERA in 16 starts there, including two complete-game
victories. Today Kuroda goes against a Rays team that's struggling to put runs
on the board – they've totaled just 15 runs over their last five games
combined.
There weren't many pitchers better than Moore in August. He
went 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA in six starts, but has failed to replicate those
numbers in the early stages of September.
Still, Moore has allowed two or fewer runs in five
consecutive road starts, suggesting that he'll be able to tame New York's big
bats somewhat. If that does indeed happen, this UNDER should easily hit.
Pick: UNDER 9
Padres vs. Rockies
Andrew Werner (SD): 2-1, 2.59 ERA, 1.03 WHIP
Alex White (COL): 2-8, 5.18 ERA, 1.61 WHIP
The Rockies' thin rotation is on a strict 75-pitch limit,
which has certainly skewed White's numbers this season. Well, at least his
win-loss record.
No matter how you spin the numbers, though, he's struggled
immensely on the road, going 1-4 with a 5.65 ERA. He's recorded more walks (26)
than strikeouts (25) in those 10 starts away from Coors Field.
Command has been the primary issue for White as you can tell
by that ugly WHIP up above.
Meanwhile, the playoffs may have been out of the question
for the Padres for quite some time now, but that hasn't stopped them from
putting together an outstanding second half. They've gone 18-6 since August 19.
San Diego turns it over to Andrew Werner tonight, who's
logged a quality start in each of his four assignments since entering the
rotation. In the three home outings, he's gone an impressive 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA
.
This is a chance for the Padres, who are a very respectable
39-35 at home this year, to win their fourth consecutive series and I think
they'll follow through on that front by winning today's finale.
Pick: San Diego Padres -155