We’re only a couple of days away—two to be exact—from the end of the 2016 MLB regular season, but the playoff picture has yet to be finalized. There are still a few teams fighting for a ticket to the postseason.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners are one of them. Both are in a must-win situation tonight when they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics. The Cards are currently just half a game short of a NL wildcard spot, while the Mariners are staring at a one-game gap for a wildcard berth in the American League. Can these two playoff-hopefuls get the crucial win? Read on below for a quick preview of today’s edition of the Best Games To Bet On.
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Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals (8:15 PM ET)
Line: Pittsburgh Pirates (+170) at St. Louis Cardinals (-200); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
St. Louis’ fate is literally in the hands of Carlos Martinez (15-9, 3.15 ERA). This should be good news for them because the Dominican has only allowed two or fewer runs in four of his last five starts, and owns a 2.41 ERA in his previous three starts versus Pittsburgh. Speaking of which, the Bucs are countering with Tyler Glasnow (0-1, 4.91 ERA). He gave up four runs—three earned—through three innings last Sunday against the Nats, which was just his third major league start.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cards (-200) win it, 5-2.
Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners (10:10 PM ET)
Line: Oakland Athletics (+170) at Seattle Mariners (-200); total: 8.0 – view all MLB lines
Taijuan Walker (7-11, 4.35 ERA) will start for Seattle later. He’s been on a good run lately, surrendering no more than three runs in his last four starts. The Mariners went 3-1 in that stretch, and are hoping that he could keep it going versus the visiting A’s. Walker, however, is 0-2 with a 5.16 ERA across six career games (four starts) in this matchup.
Oakland, meanwhile, is going with a rookie pitcher in the form of Raul Alcantara (1-2, 5.75 ERA). He allowed four runs on seven hits against the Rangers—his fourth major league start. Before that game though, the rookie gave up no more than two run in his previous two starts, one of which was a sorry loss against Seattle. Can Alcantara get his revenge tonight?
Writer’s Prediction
Seattle (-200) wins a thriller, 5-4.
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