New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

MLB betting: ALDS best bets for Wednesday 10/9

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated Oct 9, 2024 12:52 PM ET

The American League inches closer to a championship series on Wednesday with two ALDS Game 3s. The Detroit Tigers are taking on the Cleveland Guardians at 3:08 ET, and the Kansas City Royals are hosting the New York Yankees at 7:08 ET. Let's dive into both matchups and target our three best bets for Wednesday's ALDS matchups.

Guardians moneyline (-105 DraftKings)

It feels wrong to say we trust Alex Cobb in a playoff start in the year 2024, but it's true. The veteran right-hander only made three starts this season and hasn't pitched since Sept. 1, but he looked like his old self with only five hits allowed and one earned run in his last 11.2 innings of work. The 37-year-old won't be fazed by the road environment, while the Tigers will be starting rookie Keider Montero in a spot he's never seen before. Cleveland's bullpen has also been lights out with a 1.01 ERA over the last three weeks.

Yankees @ Royals over 8 (BetMGM)

We expect some high-scoring games between the Yankees and Royals now that the series has shifted to Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City's home stadium is the most hitter-friendly ballpark remaining in the MLB playoffs, as it ranked sixth in the league in park factor this season. Current Royals hitters are batting .314 with a .425 wOBA in 54 plate appearances against Clarke Schmidt, and the Yankees star hitters are due for big nights at the plate.

Bobby Witt Jr. over 0.5 runs scored (-110 DK)

The Royals are suiting up at Kauffman Stadium for the first time this postseason, which is great news for Witt. The star shortstop was unstoppable at home in the regular season, batting .382 with a 1.117 OPS, 40 extra-base hits and 71 runs. No one else on the Royals scored more than 48 runs at Kauffman Stadium this year. This offense relies on Witt reaching base and creating runs with his speed, and he'll need to do both on Wednesday night.

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Jack Dougherty

Jack Dougherty has been writing professionally since 2015, contributing to publications such as GoPSUSports. com, Centre Daily Times, Associated Press, and Sportscasting. com

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