The postseason scenario is taking an interesting shape, and for those looking to bet on the 2017 World Series, the are a couple of situations that are still clouding the postseason picture. With most of the divisions now starting to develop gaps at the top, the attention for many teams now turn to the Wild Card race. The Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays are still in the hunt, but have a lot of teams ahead of them, which means a series win here is an absolute must.
The Diamondbacks looked comfortable in the WC spot, but things are starting to tighten up in the NL. They need to get some more wins under their belt, starting with a series against the Mets. The Cubs have not been convincing this season, but will be looking to expand their division lead in a series versus the Cincinnati Reds.
The Mets are simply playing out the season at this point, and at 2-8 in their last 10 games it’s fair to say that they are not putting up much of a fight. They have been even worse at home than they have been on the road this season, and are currently sitting at 27-37 in their own ball park. The Mets will send Chris Flexen (2-2, 6.55 ERA) to the mound for this one.
Analyzing the MLB Betting Picks and Winning Favorites – August 23th
Toronto Blue Jays (59-65) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (61-65)
When: Wednesday, August 23 at 7:10 PM EST Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg TV: MLBN Probable Pitchers: Marcus Stroman Vs Austin Pruitt GAMETIME WEATHER Partly Cloudy 33°C/91°F Humidity 55% Precipitation % 6% Cloud Cover 49% Wind 10 mph E Stadium Type Indoor Analysis: The Blue Jays are 5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot, but they may as well be 55 games back at this point. Toronto are not doing enough to make a legitimate run, and are just 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are also just 25-36 on the road this season. On the plus side, they are 9-7 against the Tampa Bay Rays so far this year. Marcus Stroman (11-6, 2.99 ERA) will start for the Blue Jays. The Tampa Bay Rays have seen their postseason run grind to a halt after picking up just 3 wins in their last 13 games. They are 4 games out of the final WC spot, but need to start winning now if they are going to contend. Only 3 of the last 18 games that the Rays have played have gone OVER, so look for this one to be on the low-scoring side of things. Austin Pruitt (6-4, 5.37 ERA) will start.Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays MLB Betting Trends
- Toronto is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
- Blue Jays 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Toronto’s last 11 games
- Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
- Blue Jays are 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Toronto’s last 10 games on the road
- Toronto is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
- Blue Jays are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
- Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Weekly Free Baseball Betting Predictions – August 21st
Arizona Diamondbacks (68-57) vs. New York Mets (54-69)
When: Wednesday, August 23 at 7:10 PM EST Where: Citi Field, NYC TV: MLBN Probable Pitchers: Zack Godley Vs Chris Flexen GAMETIME WEATHER Partly Cloudy 29°C/85°F Humidity 67% Precipitation % 5% Cloud Cover 55% Wind 16 mph SSW Stadium Type Open Analysis: It wasn’t so very long ago that the Diamondbacks looked like a pretty sure Wild Card bet, but they have been struggling of late, and are just 4-6 in their last 10 games. Part of their problem is a less than impressive 29-34 road record this season. They are 15-12 against teams form the East, which includes having a perfect 4-0 record versus the Mets, which they kept going by winning the opening game of this series. Zack Godley (5-6, 3.13 ERA) will start for the D-backs.
The Mets are simply playing out the season at this point, and at 2-8 in their last 10 games it’s fair to say that they are not putting up much of a fight. They have been even worse at home than they have been on the road this season, and are currently sitting at 27-37 in their own ball park. The Mets will send Chris Flexen (2-2, 6.55 ERA) to the mound for this one.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Mets MLB Betting Trends
- Arizona is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
- Diamondbacks are 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
- Arizona is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
- Diamondbacks are 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
- Arizona is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing NY Mets
- Diamondbacks are 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing NY Mets
- Arizona is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Arizona’s last 10 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
Chicago Cubs (66-57) Vs Cincinnati Reds (53-72)
When: Wednesday, August 23 at 7:10 PM EST Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati TV: MLBN Probable Pitchers: Mike Montgomery Vs Asher Wojciechowski GAMETIME WEATHER Chance of a Thunderstorm 26°C/79°F Humidity 77% Precipitation % 43% Cloud Cover 81% Wind 10 mph W Stadium Type Open Analysis: The World Champions are learning the hard way just how difficult it is to defend the crown. The Cubs have been inconsistent all year, but have managed to open up a 2.5-game lead atop the NL Central. They have won 3 in a row and 7 of their last 10, and need to be considered favorites to keep things rolling here, as they are 8-5 versus the Reds this season. Mike Montgomery (3-6, 3.64 ERA) will start for the champs. While the Reds have not been very good this season, they have been a little tougher to take down in their own ball park, where they are just 2 games under .500. They come into this series having gone 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they have covered in 9 of their last 12, so they have been a little bit more competitive of late. It will be Asher Wojciechowski (3-2, 5.36 ERA) who will start this one.Chicago Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds MLB Betting Trends
- The Cubs are 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
- Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs’s last 5 games
- Chicago is 12-6 ATS in its last 18 games on the road
- The Cubs are 14-4 SU in its last 18 games on the road
- Chicago is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Cincinnati
- The Cubs are 13-6 SU in its last 19 games when playing Cincinnati
- The total has gone OVER in 13 of Chi Cubs’s last 17 games when playing Cincinnati
- Chicago is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
- The Cubs are 15-5 SU in its last 20 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
- The total has gone OVER in 16 of Chi Cubs’s last 22 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
