Happy Wednesday RotoBallers! John, aka 'LucidMedia," back with you with our free picks on this terrific Tuesday. We went 1-1 on our plays last night, as MadBum went vintage MadBum and twirled a nice gem for Arizona last night. Nothing we can do there but tip our cap and move on. 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, Tuesday, 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!
Featured Promo: Get any Props Premium Pass for 50% off using code WINNING. Win more with our two new Props Optimizer tools -- one for PrizePicks Props, and one for Sportsbook Betting Props. Find optimal prop bets and get our recommended picks daily! Go Premium, Win More!All plays are 1 unit unless otherwise specified.
Philadelphia Phillies @ Washington Nationals
O/U: 9 | Moneyline: WAS -116
PHI: Chase Anderson | WAS: Paolo Espino
We took the Phillies moneyline last night, and truthfully we got pretty lucky. As a Phillies fan myself, I cannot express enough about how I feel regarding Joe Girardi and the way he's been managing that ballclub. He left Wheeler in for too long, used Neris who pitched two innings the day prior and couldn't use new closer Ian Kennedy because he was used in consecutive days prior, including a 15-4 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday. Fortunately for them, the Nationals are basically running out a Triple-A team for the rest of the season. With all of this said, however, the Nationals are having no trouble scoring runs of their own, managing to get four runs over Wheeler in 7+ innings.
I'm looking at this matchup and I see two guys starting with xFIPs over 5 in Paolo Espino and Chase Anderson. It's been an "over" series, and I'm expecting that trend to continue tonight. The Nationals have hit the over in four straight games, and the Phillies have hit the over in four straight Wednesday games. The over is also 8-2 in the Phillies' last 10 following a win, and 15-4 in the last 19 against a team with a losing record. Expect both starters to give up their share of runs, and the bullpens to do the same. I'm on the over.
Pick: Over 9 (-118) FanDuel Sportsbook
Los Angeles Angels @ Texas Rangers
O/U: 8.5 | Moneyline: TEX +152
LAA: Shohei Ohtani | TEX: Kolby Allard
One of, if not the most exciting baseball players of the Modern Era takes the hill tonight for the Angels. Ohtani has been nothing short of impressive this year, and the league-leader in home runs is also carrying a 3.94 xFIP into this one. He gets to face Texas, who he surprisingly hasn't faced much despite them being a division rival. Nonetheless, those he has faced are only hitting .235 against him, so he's fairly well lined up for success.
Kolby Allard comes into this one with a 4.73 xFIP on the year. I'm just as surprised that he hasn't faced many of the Angels hitters in his career, despite them playing in the division. Angels hitters are only hitting .222 against Allard, but, like Shohei, in a small sample size. Allard threw against LA back on April 28, going 2.2 innings without allowing a run. We can expect him to be stretched out tonight as he's established a role in the Rangers rotation.
The Angels tend to dominate teams like Texas, as they're 22-12 in 34 games this year with teams that don't win at least 46% of their games. All trends point to the Angels, who don't like getting down or even swept in a series, as they're 6-1 in their last 7 after dropping the first two games of a series. Meanwhile, the Rangers are 1-6 in their last 7 third games of series, 1-7 in their last 8 following a game where they allowed five or more runs, 0-4 in their last four Wednesday games, and 0-5 in their last five against a starter with a WHIP under 1.15. They're also 1-10 behind Kolby Allard this season, while the Angels are 8th in all of baseball in OPS against lefties (.762). I'm on the Halos
Picks: Los Angeles Angels Moneyline (-180), FanDuel Sportsbook
Two chalkier plays today, but today seems like a slate where it'll be tough to find value. Regardless, let's get after it today! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @LucidMediaDFS for updates and more plays!
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis