Back Gallen And Bassitt To Battle Batters

Diamondbacks vs. Blue Jays, 3:07 ET

We were able to take home a plus money play on the first day back from the All-Star break. The Guardians were able to grab the victory through five innings which is the precise reason I focus in on the five innings before anything else. You're cutting out a lot of potential issues as you rely on the starters to do their job for five innings. Today, we get a matchup that I hope we can once again steal some money from the books as we play on the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays.

The first half run of the Diamondbacks was very impressive. The Dodgers are really starting to come alive and have a five-game winning streak going right now. But, the Diamondbacks are still holding their own and they are only a game back of Los Angeles in the division race, but they are only a game and a half up on the San Francisco Giants. They have lost three of their past five games - obviously four of those were before the break - but they might have an answer today as they send out Zac Gallen to the hill. Gallen, the All-Star pitcher for the Diamondbacks has a 3.04 ERA overall, but has struggled on the road. In 51.1 innings, he has allowed 29 earned runs. He only has three of his nine starts where he allowed three or fewer earned runs on the road. This could spell trouble for the Diamondbacks as the Blue Jays are not a team to take lightly - especially offensively. Still, some of the Blue Jays hitters will be seeing Gallen for the first time and no one aside from Whit Merrifield has any success against him, and Merrifield is 2-for-3 lifetime.

After seeing each other in All-Star festivities this past week, Vlad Guerrero Jr. will face off against Zac Gallen. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

If there wasn't a third Wild Card spot, I'd have to imagine this could be one of the toughest pills to swallow for the Blue Jays. They would be a solid team with a ton of potential and they could still not make the playoffs at the end of the season if there were just two Wild Card spots. I'm not saying it is out of the realm of possibilities that they could finish first or second, or even challenge for the Division. But, just imagine how frustrating that would be to have a great season and just be stuck in a juggernaut of a division. ESPN is listing their starter today as Kevin Gausman - if he is, that changes things. The books are listing Chris Bassitt. I'm going to analyze vs. Bassitt and place my bet based on this matchup. Frankly, Bassitt is not a great pitcher in my opinion. He has been solid at home with a 2.41 ERA over 52.1 innings, but he leaves a lot to be desired overall. His last three home starts have been good enough - eight innings and two runs against the Astros, five innings and four runs against Oakland, and six innings no runs against the Giants. The Diamondbacks are just 9-for-43 against him over their careers.

Again, I need to reiterate this, this bet is based on Gallen vs. Bassitt. If any other matchup takes place, this bet is void. Make sure you are betting this way too if you are tailing. I like the under for this game. Even if Gallen is not great on the road as he has been, I think we get a chance he can keep the scoring low for at least a third of the game. I think Bassitt is comfortable at home and can pitch better there. I'll take under 8.5.

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