The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
Congratulations, we’ve made it to Saturday. As September wears on, it’s time to watch the races heat up and some division rivals do battle. I’ve got a couple plays on tonight’s slate I really like, and without further ado I’ll get to them now.
Los Angeles Dodgers (-245) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (+195) Total: 9
It’s not often I believe in the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it’s incredibly rare I take a run line bet on an underdog. Well, I’m about to do both of those things.
The Diamondbacks are set to play spoilers here down the stretch, taking a game off the Braves a few nights ago and putting a scare into the Dodgers in the first game of this series. I’m of the belief they can do that again here in a great spot.
Of course, facing Clayton Kershaw is rarely a great spot, but the Diamondbacks have two key edges. First, they own the 13th-best OPS against left-handed pitching this year, and they also grade out as the 19th-best team against sliders. While the latter doesn’t sound great, it’s a big step up from their season-long numbers against just about every other type of pitch.
Zac Gallen is a big regression candidate with an expected ERA in the mid-threes and an ERA in the mid-fours, and he’s already had success once against this Dodgers side this year. I think he can do it again.
Edge: Diamondbacks +1.5
Editor’s Note: Get an edge with our premium Betting Tools that are packed with live odds, betting trends, predictions, player prop projections, our extensive Edge Finder and much more. And don’t forget to use promo code SAVE10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
Seattle Mariners (-140) vs. Los Angeles Angels (+120)
If you missed it earlier in the week, Tyler Anderson pitched like a Cy Young Award winner against the Oakland Athletics. In fact, he’s been doing this for a couple of weeks now.
[[ad:athena]]
In his last two starts, Anderson has gone 11 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs on eight hits and striking out 12. His arsenal looks absolutely lethal at the moment, and should look great against an Angels team which sits 15th in wRC+ to lefties and 26th in wRC+ over the last two weeks.
On top of that, the Mariners have been raking and the peripherals on Jaime Barria have been downright ugly, ranking in the bottom 8% of the league in xwOBA, the bottom 1% in expected batting average and the bottom 4% in strikeout rate. Seattle should take it.
Edge: Mariners -140
PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner, and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
