The Daily Sweat: An MLB postseason tripleheader takes us into the weekend
Rain means we’ve got three MLB postseason baseball games to bet on Friday instead of two.
The ALDS between the Guardians and Yankees was postponed due to rain on Thursday and is being made up Friday at 1 p.m. ET (TBS). The Yankees are up 1-0 in the series and -140 favorites on the money line on Friday while the Guardians are +115.
The Guardians are close to even odds straight up because Shane Bieber is starting. Bieber had a 2.88 ERA in the regular season and struck out 198 batters in 200 regular-season innings pitched. Nestor Cortes takes the mound for the Yankees and if you’d prefer to bet the game on the money line, you can get the Guardians +1.5 runs at -200.
Friday was set to be a travel day for both ALDS matchups, so Seattle and Houston are off while both NLDS matchups have Game 3 on Friday. The Braves are at the Phillies (4:30 p.m. ET, FS1) with that series tied 1-1. Aaron Nola is starting for Philadelphia as the team hosts its first playoff game in 11 years. Philly is -120 on the money line and +170 giving 1.5 runs. As of early Friday morning, the Braves still hadn’t revealed if Spencer Strider or Charlie Morton would start the game.
If Strider starts, he’d be making his third appearance since an oblique injury in mid-September and wouldn’t be available to go more than a few innings. The Braves are +100 on the money line and you can get them at -210 getting 1.5 runs.
The Padres and Dodgers (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1) are also tied 1-1 as that series heads to San Diego. The Dodgers are -130 on the money line with Tony Gonsolin taking the mound against Blake Snell. Gonsolin posted a 2.14 ERA in an All-Star Season as he walked just 35 batters and allowed 79 hits in 130.1 regular-season innings. Snell struck out 171 batters across 128 innings in the regular season and gave up 24 more hits than Gonsolin in five fewer innings.
The Padres are +105 on the money line and -160 while getting 1.5 runs from the Dodgers. Los Angeles is +135 at -1.5.
Navy and SMU headline the college football slate
There are just two college football games on Friday night and neither looks to be much of a barnburner. SMU is a 12.5-point favorite at home against Navy and the over/under is 57. Navy is 2-3 this season and scoring just 21 points per game. That average would have been a lot lower if not for a 53-21 win over Tulsa a week ago. SMU is averaging just under 35 points per game as it’s also 2-3. The Mustangs started 2-0 with wins over North Texas and Lamar but has lost three straight to Maryland, TCU and UCF. Perhaps Navy is the antidote it needs to stop the losing streak.
The spread is a lot bigger in the other college game of the night. UTSA is 33.5-point favorites at Florida International and the total is 63.5. The Roadrunners are 4-2 with losses to Houston and Texas and have won three consecutive games. Frank Harris has thrown for 1,997 yards across the team’s six games this season and could have a field day against a FIU defense that allows 6.4 yards per play.
The Panthers are coached by former Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre and could be one of the worst teams at the top level of college football. FIU is 2-3 but its wins are over Bryant and New Mexico State. FIU is scoring less than 17 points per game and allowing 38 points per game. UTSA’s most recent win was a 31-28 victory over Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers beat FIU 73-0 earlier this season.
Brentford vs. Brighton & Hove
The English Premier League weekend gets started on Friday as Brentford hosts Brighton & Hove Albion. Brighton is +130 to win while Brentford is at +200 and the tie is at +240. The over/under is 2.5 goals and the over is -115 and the under is -120. We’re thinking the over is in play here as both teams are capable of scoring multiple goals.
Who cashed tickets Thursday?
If you had the under again on Thursday Night Football you were a very happy bettor with the Commanders’ 12-7 win over the Bears on Thursday night. That game was somehow worse to watch than the Colts’ win over the Broncos even if there was some late drama.
Bettors who had the Astros to win on the money line were also thrilled with Yordan Alvarez. His second comeback go-ahead homer in as many games gave the Astros a 2-0 series lead over the Mariners.
