MLB Best Bets for Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Nice little 2-1 Labor Day afternoon with a solid underdog victory from the Cubs. Let’s move onto Monday and a nice fresh slate of series.
Rangers vs. Diamondbacks
The Rangers head to Arizona to start a set against the Diamondbacks. Neither team has any playoff hopes left, but there are still players auditioning for next year, working for new contracts, and more – so don’t assume the players are all checked out, even if we as fans are with certain teams. For the Rangers, Spencer Howard brings his 6.30 ERA to the game. He has a better track record as a road starter, but he still has an ERA over 5 runs. He is struggling to get out of the first three innings of a game. In his last 14 innings, he’s allowed 12 runs. Zac Gallen isn’t a starter that will blow you away, but he has been doing better than Howard. Gallen has a 4.57 home ERA and has been good over his last three starts, allowing just three earned runs over 18 innings. I like the Diamondbacks to be winning after 3 innings at +108, but I’ll play the over for the game at over 8 runs for -112.
Angels vs. Padres
I’m going to take a huge swing here because I think there is enough value. I want to be very clear – this isn’t something I’d guarantee, or even think will definitely happen, but I see a value on the play as in the number offered is better than it should be. I’m playing the Angels to win the game tonight against the Padres at +270. Blake Snell is pitching for the Padres, and while he is significantly better at home than he has been on the road, but the Padres have also lost three of his last four home starts. While Snell may be rounding into playoff form, Angels hitters are hitting .251 against left-handed pitching. Packy Naughton doesn’t give me much hope, but he has been fine the last couple of starts. Naughton has only faced the Padres hitters 17 times, but he has allowed only three hits. This game really should be closer to +220, play them at +270.
Reds vs. Cubs
The hottest team in baseball once again takes the field tonight, the Chicago Cubs. Yeah, how exciting is it that a fire sale team at the trading deadline is now performing better than they probably would have with their big-name talent? Not very exciting, I get it. Anyway, Wade Miley pitches for the Reds. He has faced the Cubs four times this year and allowed just seven runs over 23 innings. He has been a really consistent pitcher this season with the exception of a few outings. Adrian Sampson pitches for the Cubs. In his first start, he didn’t give up any runs over 3.1 innings. Against the Reds, he’s given up just five hits in 18 at-bats. I like this game to be low scoring under the posted total of 9.5 at -115. I also like the Reds to win if you want to sprinkle the parlay of Reds and under 9.5 at +220.