MLB Playoff picks: Best bets for AL wild-card Game 2s
The American League wild-card round kicked off on Tuesday afternoon, and we already have some drama developing. The Texas Rangers blanked the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-0, on the road, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-1, to finally snap their 18-game playoff losing streak.
Both series keep rolling on Wednesday with two Game 2s, and we've got you covered with best bets for both matchups.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers
3:08 p.m. ET
Under 8 (-110 FanDuel)
I'm trusting the starting pitchers in this matchup. Rays starter Zach Eflin enjoyed the best season of his career with 16 wins, a 3.50 ERA and a 3.5 WAR, and he hasn't given up a run in the playoffs in his last 6.1 innings pitched. Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi has been an elite postseason performer for most of his career, and although he enters the playoffs with 17 earned runs over his last four starts, I trust him to show up when it matters most.
No run first inning (-115 FanDuel)
This is a great spot for a NRFI bet.
Eflin gave up only seven first-inning runs in 31 starts this season, and Eovaldi is an absolute killer in the playoffs. Eovaldi has a 3.14 ERA in his postseason career. The Rays also finished the regular season with an 85-74 NRFI record, which was the fifth-best mark in MLB. This is more than a fair price on a slow start.
Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays
4:38 p.m. ET
Under 8 (-108 FD)
I'm not sure where this opener is coming from.
Twins starter Sonny Gray has the second-lowest ERA in the AL (2.79) behind only Gerrit Cole, and Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios ranks 10th (3.65). Minnesota and Toronto combined for just 11 hits and four runs in Game 1, and three of those runs came directly off the bat of Twins third baseman Royce Lewis.
This total is all the way down to 7.5 at DraftKings, so grab it at FanDuel while you still can.
Bo Bichette over 1.5 total bases (+125 DraftKings)
Bo Bichette was the best hitter in Toronto's lineup in Game 1, as he knocked two singles in four at-bats. The Blue Jays shortstop has been on fire of late with a team-leading .346 batting average and .931 OPS over the last 15 days. He's gone over 1.5 total bases in five straight games, and he already has a hit off Gray in five career at-bats against him.
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