Happy Monday RotoBallers! John, aka 'LucidMedia," back with you with our free picks on this fine Monday. We had a decent week last week, however, the White Sox continued to let us down. Fortunately, they're not on the slate today, and I have a few games I have my eyes on today, so let's get right to it.
I will be doing these picks for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday going forward this baseball season. Just to let you know, I mainly bet on FanDuel Sportsbook, and that's where the odds below will be coming from. I know not everyone is able to bet on Fanduel, so if you are betting elsewhere just make sure to shop around and find the best odds.
We have been really increasing our sports betting content at RotoBaller, and this year will be no different. Tommy Bell (@BellRoto) will be handling things over in our premium offering. Steve Janik (@stevejanik6) will be carrying the free picks on during the week throughout the season with some help from yours truly. And Kipp Heisterman (@kipppsta) brings you the Monkey Knife Fight picks. Let's make some money and have fun. but remember, please gamble responsibly! The RotoBaller team has had a great month of July on the books so far, so let's finish it out strong and make some money!
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Philadelphia Phillies @ Washington Nationals
O/U: 8.5 | Moneyline: WAS +100
PHI: Ranger Suarez | WAS: Josiah Gray
The Nationals were decimated at the trade deadline, losing their ace as well as their starting shortstop in Trea Turner. In that trade to LA, however, they received a nice return with Josiah Gray heading to DC. Gray will make the start today for the Nats, but you can't expect him to go deep. He's gone just four innings in both of his outings this year (one start). He does strike out a lot of guys, but he's given up six runs in those eight innings. It always seems to take a bit for a pitcher to get his legs underneath him, so this is a good opportunity for Philly to take advantage of that, along with Washington's decimated bullpen.
The Phillies also made a move at the deadline, grabbing two arms from Texas. Kyle Gibson started for them yesterday but they also got Ian Kennedy who looks to be put in the closer's spot. That would move short-time closer Ranger Suarez back into a starter's role. The Phillies stated that he won't be going more than three innings today, which opens the door for their awful bullpen to carry them the rest of the way.
Both of these bullpens stink, and they'll have to carry the workload for each team today. This puts me on the over, which is 6-1 in the last seven Phillies games that open a series, as well as 5-1 in their last six Monday games. The over is 4-0 in the Nationals' last four Monday games, and 4-0 in the Nationals' last four games with the total set between 7 and 8.5 runs. I'm on the over.
Pick: Over 8.5 (-118) FanDuel Sportsbook
Pittsburgh Pirates @ Milwaukee Brewers
O/U: 9 | Moneyline: MIL -225
PIT: Bryse Wilson | MIL: Eric Lauer
A rematch series from just last week, the Pirates head into Milwaukee to take on the Brew Crew. The Brewers stomped Pittsburgh last week, outscoring them 28-3 in a three-game series. While the Brewers are actually worse at home than they are on the road, so is Pittsburgh (17-35).
Milwaukee will send Eric Lauer to the mound, who's been impressive of late allowing just five runs in his last 26.1 innings pitched. Bryse Wilson will take the mound in his Pittsburgh debut, and he's got a brutal 9.56 xFIP over the last 30 days. I expect the trend of the Brewers dominating the Pirates to continue, so I'll take them on the run line at a fair price.
Picks: Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 (-110), FanDuel Sportsbook
Let's get after it today! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @LucidMediaDFS for updates and more plays!
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