Good afternoon gamblers, it's Chris Bengel back with you on this beautiful Tuesday. Guess what? Football is officially right around the corner. We're so close to the finish line.
I am fully in NFL mode today because I have my home league fantasy football draft this evening. It's always fun to gather your closest friends and family together and roast each other anytime someone makes a questionable draft pick. Good luck to everyone drafting in the near future and let's make some money this season.
But the pigskin is still a few days away. Let's get to Tuesday's picks on the diamond.
All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook
🔥 The Hot Ticket
Dodgers at Mets, 7:10 p.m. | TV: TBS
- Key Trend: The Dodgers are 24-8 in their last 32 road games when facing a right-handed starter
- The Pick: Dodgers (-145)
This is one of the top games on Tuesday's Major League Baseball slate. As impressive of a season as the Mets have had, I'm still fading them and riding with the Dodgers in this spot.
The Dodgers are winners of five of their last six games and have scored a staggering 43 runs during the stretch. In addition, Los Angeles has plated double-digit runs in three of those contests. While Tuesday's game is on the road, that's a scenario in which the Dodgers have thrived with a 38-17 mark over their last 55 road games. The Dodgers have also been victorious in seven of their last eight contests against National League East teams.
Los Angeles also will be sending left-hander Andrew Heaney to the mound, who has been downright impressive this season. In nine starts, Heaney has accumulated a 2-1 record to go along with a 1.94 ERA and 62 strikeouts. Heaney has yielded two runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts while recording 10 strikeouts apiece in each of his last two starts. I'm counting on Heaney to continue to thrive and keep the Mets off the scoreboard.
💰 The Picks
⚾ MLB
Astros at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV
The Pick: Over 7.5 runs (+100): -- With the Astros being one of the top offenses in baseball, I'm hammering the over here. They will be facing right-hander Dane Dunning. In Houston's last four road games, the over is 3-0-1 against right-hand starters. The Astros' over is also 3-0-1 over their last four road games when the total is set between 7.0-8.5 runs.
Houston's offense can also get hot in a hurry. The Astros rank fourth in the majors in home runs (171) while also ranking eighth in runs (584). On top of all of that, the Astros have won five of their last six games against a team with a winning record, so parlaying the over with Houston moneyline provides an opportunity to maximize your winnings.
Meanwhile, the Rangers have scored at least seven runs in three of their last four games. Astros starter Framber Valdez has been strong as of late with six wins over his last seven starts. However, the Rangers could give us a few runs, which should easily get us to the eight-run total that we need.
Key Trend: The over is 3-0-1 in the Astros' last four road games when the total is set at 7.0-8.5
Phillies at Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV
The Pick: Aaron Nola over 6.5 strikeouts (-115) -- If you bet on the Phillies on Monday, I truly apologize for your emotional distress after Philadelphia blew a 7-0 lead. While the Phillies' pitching staff was brutal down the stretch on Monday, I'm more than happy to go back to the well with Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola.
Nola is coming off one of his best starts of the season, as he tossed a complete game shutout against the Reds. In that particular start, the veteran right-hander mowed down 11 hitters: it marked the seventh time in his last eight starts Nola recorded at least seven strikeouts. In 25 starts this season, Nola has registered at least seven strikeouts in 17 of those outings. Simply put, bet Nola's strikeout prop and feel great about it.
Key Trend: Nola has registered at least seven strikeouts in seven of his last eight starts
