MLB bets: These three batters will make your wallet fatter

Will Smith did indeed deliver for us with two hits, but Ozzie Albies ended up not playing. Not quite the windfall we were hoping for. Do we go for more baseball or talk NFL? 

If you have a life during the summer you probably haven't been checking sportsbooks every day for Week 1 prop lines. Luckily for you, this writer has no life and has been doing exactly that. Well, yesterday lines dropped for Lions-Chiefs. Is now the time to lock in some plays? We are so damn excited to see props populating, but patience is a virtue. We're going to let more sportsbooks open up lines and let the market move around a bit before we secure a play. Thank you for being understanding. Next week will be all NFL.

Back to baseball to end our week

All we know is we're seeing something with these prop lines. Trends and historical matchups against a pitcher are really paying off at the moment. We actually remember this happening around this time last season too. We don't know why, but mental note to start betting batters aggressively at the end of August next year.

Vlad Guerrero Jr. has to be the first leg, and he's going to be a juiced one on FanDuel because his line is set at 1.5 on most major books. Guerrero is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak, and he's logged a hit in 72% of his games this season. What puts Guerrero over the edge today is his .571 average against Chris Flexen in 10 plate appearances. That will always work on our end.

We'll gladly bring in Nick Castellanos as our second leg. The Phillies slugger has a hit in 23 of his last 27 games, including 10 hits in his past seven. Castellanos has seen Freddy Peralta 16 times, hitting .467 against him with two singles, four doubles and a homer.

Let's make this a golden trio and bring in Boston's Justin Turner. Turner has a hit in 25 of his last 30 on the road, and he gets to face Jordan Lyles, who has been just atrocious this season. Turner has enjoyed some success against the Royals starter, for good measure, hitting .444 in 14 PA against him.

Together, these three come in at a very solid +148 on FanDuel. Let's have us a Friday, and enjoy your Labor Day Weekend! We'll be back on Tuesday.

Betting: Vlad Guerrero Jr., Nick Castellanos & Justin Turner 1+ hit each (+148 FD)

In the news ...

Troubling news on Cooper Kupp — Rams head coach Sean McVay brought disconcerting news about star WR Cooper Kupp, announcing that the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year has suffered a setback with his hamstring injury. It doesn't sound likely that he will suit up for the season opener, and without him, this Rams offense is going to be an absolute disaster (again). Fade Los Angeles and avoid Kupp in fantasy drafts unless he starts to slip. The Rams are currently 5.5-point underdogs to Seattle in Week 1. The Seahawks won both games against Los Angeles last year.

Cleveland Guardians going for late-season playoff push — The Guardians currently sit at 64-70 but are just five games back from first in the AL Central. It looks like Cleveland is going to give it a go, claiming three pitchers on waivers this week to shore up their rotation and bullpen. Cleveland added Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Matt Moore, all of whom have had solid seasons. The Guardians are currently +900 to make the playoffs if you're into that kind of thing.

Dodgers could be getting back All-Star ace just in time for a World Series run — Two-time All-Star Walker Buehler could be back with the Dodgers sooner before later, shattering his injury recovery timeline. Buehler had Tommy John surgery last August and was given 14-18 months' recovery time, but he's already back pitching in Triple-A, and he previously had set September 1 as his return date. Buehler's return would bolster what is already one of the best pitching rotations and best baseball teams. The Dodgers are currently +400 to win the World Series, just behind Atlanta at +330.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll. For more from Griffin, follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com.