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Walk-Off Wagers: MLB Best Bets Today (Back the Guardians vs. the Yankees, NRFI White Sox/Giants)`
Both the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees are looking to snap a losing streak tonight.
Let’s look at that East Coast matchup and another NRFI bet on the West Coast tonight for today's MLB Best Bets!
All odds, according to DraftKings.
MLB Best Bets Today for Tuesday, Aug. 20
- Cleveland Guardians ML (+140)
- Guardians/Yankees under 8.5 (-115)
- White Sox/Giants NRFI (-130)
Cleveland Guardians ML (+140) and Under 8.5 (-115)
It’s too good of a payout not to take a chance on the Guardians to pull off the upset in the Bronx tonight.
The Guardians have only one fewer win than the Yankees this season, and both teams are 5-5 in their last 10.
The Yankees' bullpen has struggled with a 5.64 ERA over the past two weeks of play, while the Cleveland bullpen has remained one of the better groups in MLB.
The Yankees will start Luis Gil, who has been strong for the bombers. He should be able to keep runs at bay before the Guardians get a crack at the bullpen.
The Guardians will start lefty Matthew Boyd in his second appearance since signing with Cleveland on July 29. Boyd was strong in his first start back from Tommy John surgery vs. the Cubs, allowing just one earned run and striking out six across 5.1 innings pitched.
It should be hard to trust Boyd tonight in New York, but I like his chances vs. a Yankees lineup that has struggled vs. left-handed pitching all season. New York is bottom-five in the league in AVG (.232) and bottom-eight in SLG (.382) vs. Southpaws this season.
I expect this game to be close, and I’ll take the shot on the plus-money payout for Cleveland.
White Sox at Giants NRFI (-130)
We cashed this one last night, and we are going to roll it again tonight.
The White Sox have an anemic offense that has scored only 19% of the time in the first inning. They should struggle early vs. lefty Robbie Ray.
Chicago is hitting just .222 vs. southpaws (29th) with a 24.5% K-rate (25th) this year, averaging a league-worst 3.02 runs per game when on the road this season.
On the other side, the Giants also struggle to get going early. They have scored 23% of the time in first innings this season, averaging just 4.12 runs per game this month. Davis Martin should be able to get out of the first inning unscathed.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Jennifer Piacenti is a fantasy sports and betting analyst for Sports Illustrated. She serves as a host for Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio and has her own podcast, “Waiver Wired,” on the Extra Points podcast network. Piacenti is also a featured expert on MLB Network’s “Bettor’s Eye” and is a member of the esteemed Tout Wars, the fantasy baseball battle of the experts. She is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and is a 2020 Scott Fish Bowl finalist.
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