JutPicks
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Pickswise was nice enough to give me the opportunity to write up my plays for you all. For those of you who don’t know me, they refer to me as JutPicks on Twitter. I post all my plays with brief write-ups every day. Now I get to write even more with no character limit!
I pride myself on being as transparent as they come. My MLB record from last season and this season is listed in my bio. In the regular season, I recorded 249 wins and 158 losses for a gain of +38.75 units. Without further ado, let’s dive into my favorite play for day 1 of the MLB Divisional Series.
Lock in our MLB picks for each of today’s 4 Divisional Series games
Mookie Betts (LAD) over 1.5 total bases (+120)
Line available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Come playoff time, star players show up. That’s exactly why we’re targeting Mookie Betts, who is arguably a top-5 positional player in the game. Betts hit .278 at home this season and will look to set the tone in Game 1 of the NLDS against division-rival San Diego. The Padres are coming into this game with all the confidence in the world. They stunned the 101-win New York Mets in the Wild Card series and will look to upset the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers.
Mike Clevinger will be opposing Mookie Betts and the rest of the Dodgers lineup. Clevinger is no doubt going to have a short leash tonight. He has struggled mightily against the Dodgers this season. In 3 starts, he’s allowed 14 earned runs across 13 innings. Mookie Betts in particular has Clevinger’s number. In 17 plate appearances, Betts has recorded 7 hits including 2 extra-base hits. He has phenomenal numbers across the board against the Padres. In 16 games and 76 plate appearances, Betts is hitting .361 with three home runs and six RBIs.
Betts is over this line in 10 of 16 games against the Padres this season, including 6 of 7 at home. Look for Betts to start the party in L.A. while hitting in the leadoff spot.
Be sure to check out our San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers predictions
Houston Astros -0.5 1st half run line (-140)
Line available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Feels great to still be able to back our Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander. The 39-year-old is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He had a 1.75 ERA and allowed his opponents to hit .186. His opponent today at home will be a familiar foe in the Seattle Mariners. Verlander has faced off against the Mariners 6 times this season, which includes 5 wins and an ERA of 2.34. He will be opposed by right-hander Logan Gilbert. Gilbert has also had his fair share of battles against the Astros. In 4 starts, he has an ERA of 2.52 with core Astros hitters hitting well over .280 against the 25-year-old.
The combination of Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker is a combined 24 for 67 against Gilbert for a batting average of .358. The Astros as a team are hitting .241 against right-handed pitching in the last month, while the Mariners are slightly behind at .235.
As someone who has the Astros winning the World Series, it all starts with the best pitcher in baseball and an experienced lineup against a team making their 2nd playoff series appearance since 2001.
Be sure to check out our Seattle Mariners vs Houston Astros predictions
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