MLB · 11 months ago

MLB Betting Guide for Oct. 1: Let October Reign Supreme

Ben DiGiacomo

Host · Writer

MLB Betting Guide for Oct. 1: Let October Reign Supreme

October baseball has arrived, and we have a four-game slate to kick off the postseason beginning this afternoon with the wild card. There is no better day of baseball all season, so let’s dive into the matchups and lay out everything you need to know.

Starting the day, the Houston Astros are set to host the Detroit Tigers in a battle of arguably the AL’s two hottest teams. After the Astros’ miserable start to the season, they’ve been one of the hottest teams in baseball over the past few months. At the same time, the Tigers have rebounded from their average start with a late surge across the past seven weeks where they have been the best team in baseball. The Tigers will throw presumptive AL Cy Young Tarik Skubal on the mound to face Framber Valdez for what should be a nail-biter of a game.

Next, sticking in the American League, the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals will square off in Camden Yards. The Orioles certainly can’t be pleased with how they’ve played the past few weeks both on the mound and at the plate, but luckily, the Royals stumbled into the postseason themselves. Corbin Burnes takes the mound for the O’s against Cole Ragans for the Royals, with Ragans in particular being fresh off an elite September where he had a 1.08 ERA across four starts.

Later on, the New York Mets will hit the road for a rematch with the Milwaukee Brewers after the two clubs faced off last weekend, where the Brew Crew took two of three games. The Mets have been baseball’s darling since their midseason turnaround, where the Brewers have been baseball’s best-forgotten team as many continually overlook all the success that they have had this season. Luis Severino will start for New York, and Freddy Peralta will start for the Brewers, potentially giving us a game with a ton of action-packed offense.

To close out the night, we’ll head west as the San Diego Padres will host the Atlanta Braves, with the Braves coming to town in a nightmare scenario. After having to play all of their high-leverage bullpen arms and use the starting offense for both games yesterday just to make the postseason, they now travel cross country to face a surging Padres team without Chris Sale, who has been ruled out for the Wild Card round. Michael King will get the start for the Padres, and while it’s unclear who the Braves will start on the mound, the names aren’t pretty.

It should be a great day of baseball, so stick with SportsGrid throughout the day to keep you covered on all the action. Let’s ride!

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MLB Betting Guide for October 1

Tonight’s Headliners: Postseason Best Bets | Playoff Power Rankings | NL Bracket Prediction | AL Bracket Prediction

2:32 p.m ET: Detroit Tigers @ Houston Astros: Preview

Run Line: Astros 1.5 | Moneyline: Astros -148 | Total: 6.5
Where to Watch: ABC | Location: Minute Maid Park (Houston, TX)
Weather Notes: Dome

Starting Pitching Matchup: Tarik Skubal (ERA: 2.39; K/9: 10.69) vs. Framber Valdez (ERA: 2.91; K/9: 8.63)

SportsGrid’s Best Bets: Astros -1.5 (2-Stars) | OVER 6.5 (5-Stars)

SportsGrid’s Predicted Game Outcome: Astros by 0.8 Runs

SportsGrid’s Top Props: Tarik Skubal OVER 5.5 Ks (5-Stars) | Jose Altuve OVER 1.5 Total Bases (5-Stars, +105)

4:05 p.m ET: Kansas City Royals @ Baltimore Orioles: Preview

Run Line: Orioles -1.5 | Moneyline: Orioles -152 | Total: 6.5
Where to Watch: ESPN2 | Location: Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore, MD)
Weather Notes: Clear, winds blowing in from right-center mildly.

Starting Pitching Matchup: Cole Ragans (ERA: 3.14; K/9: 10.77) vs. Corbin Burnes (ERA: 2.92; K/9: 8.38)

SportsGrid’s Best Bets: Royals ML (1-Star) | OVER 6.5 (5-Stars)

SportsGrid’s Predicted Game Outcome: Orioles by 0.4 Runs

SportsGrid’s Top Props: Cole Ragans OVER 5.5 Ks (5-Stars)