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MLB Best Bets for Today: Expect the Astros to roll
MLB teams will be completing their weekend series today, setting their focus on another opponent going into the new week. There are a lot of games on today, so it's important to extract the most value you can. If you want betting action on these games, you've come to the right place. Let's get into these bets!
Below, you will find two of the best value bets for today's slate of games.
Bet #1: Houston Astros F5 -0.5 (-125) vs. the Oakland Athletics
"Stros strike first" - Astros
The Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics will play a series rubbermatch tonight. The Athletics escaped with a one-run victory last night to even up the series, and Houston is looking for revenge.
Oakland has been one of the worst teams in the MLB at home this season, with an 11-30 record in their own stadium. The Astros, on the other hand, have a very good 28-17 record on the road this year.
The Houston Astros offense has been led by Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and Michael Brantley. The offense has been somewhat mediocre this season and has had to be very opportunisitic. The pitching staff has been the backbone of the Houston team thus far, with the third-best ERA in the MLB.
They will send veteran Jake Odorizzi to the mound to face Oakland, and he had a rough start in his last outing. Odorizzi returned from injury to face the Kansas City Royals and was hit hard.
Tonight, Odorizzi will have a great matchup against the MLB's worst offense in the Oakland Athletics. The key to victory for the Astros is to get a quality start out of Odorizzi, because the offense should be able to get their job done.
Bet #2: Atlanta Braves -1.5 (-115) vs. the Washington Nationals
"Sunday's lineup." - Braves
The Washington Nationals carry a three-game losing streak into tonight's game with the Braves that includes losses in the last two games to Atlanta.
The defending champion Atlanta Braves have been very good at home this year, with a record of 29-18. The Nationals have seen opposite success on the road, compiling a record of 16-26 to this point.
The Braves will trot out Ian Anderson to the mound in this one. Anderson has fallen victim to a tough schedule, having faced some of the best offenses in the league recently.
Anderson has gone toe-to-toe with Washington once already and turned in a very mediocre outing. Today, he will look to improve on his previous starts and give his team a shot to win.
The key to victory for Atlanta is to have the offense produce run support for Anderson. If the offense can get into the Nationals bullpen, they will be able to exploit a serious weakness. The Washington bullpen ranks in the bottom five of the MLB in team ERA. Let's go Braves!
