It's the first day of October, and you know what that means. That's right, the MLB playoffs are officially here, as all four wild-card series are set to begin on Tuesday. We're going to be pumping out content all postseason long, but let's start with our favorite series bet for each of the four matchups in the wild-card round.
Houston Astros vs. Detroit Tigers, 2:32 p.m. ET
G1 DET / G2 HOU / G3 DET (+800 FanDuel)
How can you bet against the Tigers right now? Detroit ripped off a 15-3 run down the stretch of the regular season to make the playoffs, and it has the feel of the hot team no one believes in entering October. The Tigers' big advantage in this series is their ability to counter Framber Valdez with Tarik Skubal in Game 1. That's a must-win game if Detroit has any chance of winning this series. Game 2 would likely be a mismatch between Ronel Blanco and Reese Olson, so we'll give that one to the 'Stros. If all goes to plan, we'll be sitting on the Tigers at +800 to win a decisive Game 3 with all the pressure on the other side.
Baltimore Orioles vs. Kansas City Royals, 4:08 p.m. ET
G1 BAL / Series BAL (+105 DraftKings)
All aboard the Orioles train. After a disappointing performance in the playoffs last year, this team is more experienced and ready to make a deep run. That starts in Game 1 with Corbin Burnes, who's absolutely on fire with only five earned runs in his last 30.0 innings of work. Burnes has a great track record against this Royals lineup. Take care of business in Game 1, and we'll have the O's at +105 to win one of the next two games against an inferior team.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Mets, 5:32 p.m. ET
Mets to win the series (+115 DK)
We're not believers in the Brewers heading into the postseason. The starting rotation is a clear concern, as Milwaukee will likely give the ball to rookie right-hander Tobias Myers in Game 2 and struggling veteran Aaron Civale in a possible Game 3. The Mets have a better, deeper starting rotation and the most clutch hitter in the series in Francisco Lindor. Give us the underdogs here.
San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves, 8:38 p.m. ET
Padres -1.5 games (+200 FD)
We like the underdog Mets to advance, but we're loading up on the favorites to win the other NLWC series. The Braves will likely be without Chris Sale for the best-of-three set, and he would've given Atlanta its best chance to pull off an upset on the road. There are simply too many injuries and starting rotation concerns to believe the Braves will be competitive in this series.
In the news ...
Lions soar past Seahawks; Titans notch first win against beat-up Dolphins — What a game it was in Motown, as the Detroit Lions turned up the offense and knocked off the Seattle Seahawks, 42-29, on "Monday Night Football." Jared Goff was a perfect 18-18 for 292 yards and two touchdowns, and he even caught a touchdown from Amon-Ra St. Brown on a trick play. The same can't be said for the second half of the doubleheader, as the Tennessee Titans crushed the Miami Dolphins, 31-12, in a sloppy matchup. Tyler Huntley threw for only 96 yards and missed Tyreek Hill on a few deep balls that could've changed the game. The 1-3 Dolphins are now -340 to miss the playoffs.
Mets, Braves split doubleheader to knock Diamondbacks out of the playoffs — The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves faced off in a makeup doubleheader on Monday to determine the final wild-card spots in the National League. New York won Game 1 in comeback fashion to punch its ticket to the postseason, and Atlanta won Game 2 to clinch its spot and knock out the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets are +115 to beat the Milwaukee Brewers and advance, while the Braves are +150 to defeat the San Diego Padres.
Pete Rose dies at 83 — The baseball world lost a legend on Monday when Rose died at the age of 83. "Charlie Hustle" was a 17-time All-Star, a World Series MVP and MLB's all-time leader in hits (4,256). Rose was banned from MLB and the Baseball Hall of Fame due to gambling.
Today's Bark Bets is written by Jack Dougherty