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September is finally here and football is right around the corner. This week is the beginning of the college football season and we couldn’t be more excited. There are some great match-ups on the opening week slate including a big game between Wisconsin and Alabama on Saturday. We’ll have tips for the college games this weekend so be sure to check back for those. Then next week is the return of the NFL. This offseason was filled with tons of off the field drama (as always) and everyone is ready to just think about the games again. That off field stuff is mostly depressing, but the on field product is pure bliss. Good luck with your fantasy drafts that are taking place this week and stick with us all year long for tips.
Before all of that though, there is still plenty of baseball on our betting slate. Some of the races are pretty tight; the Yankees and Jays battle in the AL East being the big highlight. The AL Wild Card race is also looking like it will go down to the last week of the season and could include as many as five teams. The funny thing about baseball is the two best teams, Kansas City and St. Louis, have actually been better thus far in the second half. An all Missouri World Series is the favorite even if it seems so unlikely.
MLB Betting Tips:
The Yankees and Red Sox continue their series this evening. These two teams are long time rivals, but the Red Sox aren’t quite holding up their end of the bargain this year and are one of the most disappointing teams in all of baseball. A big part of that disappointment is Rick Porcello who was meant to anchor their rotation this year, but has instead posted a 4.80 SIERRA thus far this season. He recently returned from the disabled list and posted one of his best starts of the season his last time out, but the second start out from a DL stay is often the most difficult. The match-up tonight is extremely difficult as he faces a Yankees offense that is third in baseball in wOBA against right handed pitchers. Making matters worse for the Sox, their bullpen ranks last in FIP and the Yankees -132 should go off tonight.
The hottest pitcher in baseball right now has to be Justin Verlander. Over his past six starts he holds a 1.43 ERA and a microscopic 0.77 WHIP. He has looked really great lately and in his last start he almost threw a no-hitter, giving up just one hit in the ninth inning. He goes against Johnny Cueto, the Royals big mid-season acquisition, who has really been struggling as of late. In his last two starts he has allowed six earned runs in each of his last two starts and allowing 21 hits in 11 innings. Despite the difference in the recent records of these two starters, the Royals are a big favorite. There could be a good reason for that, but the Tigers have a very dangerous offense going against a struggling starter and one of the hottest pitchers in the game right now. That seems like a strong play, Tigers +157.
The Nationals and Cardinals face off today with two young pitchers on the mound. Joe Ross goes for the Nationals and he is nearing his innings limit for the season. He’s pitched great this season, but on the road he has been a different pitcher like many young starters. He has a 1.91 ERA at home compared to the 4.97 number he sports on the road. Bad news for him, good news for the Cardinals. Marco Gonzales goes for St. Louis making his 2015 debut. He had a good run last season with the Cardinals making 10 appearances and posting a 2.94 xFIP. He’s struggled a bit this season in Triple-A though with a 5.20 ERA and 1.61 WHIP. With two young volatile pitchers on the mound this seems like a safe place to take over 7.5 runs.
