Caleb Wilfinger
Show Bio
Postseason baseball is in full swing, and both New York teams are in action on Friday. We’ve got a potential series-clinching game in Queens, as the Mets are hosting the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLCS at Citi Field, while the Yankees are looking to push the Guardians to the brink in Cleveland with Game 4 of the ALCS. This should be a fascinating day of baseball and I have a pair of MLB Championship Series best bets for Friday’s action. I just went 2-0 in my best bets piece on Thursday’s slate, so let’s keep the momentum going! You can also find out our MLB picks for today and every game throughout the postseason.
New York Yankees vs Cleveland Guardians best bet: Yankees ML (-120)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -130.
I targeted the NRFI in Thursday’s contest, but this time I’ll be taking the Yankees to pick up a win in Game 4. New York should bounce back from a brutal loss in Game 3, as the Yankees were just one strike away from taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the ALCS over a clearly inferior opponent. Aaron Boone is set to send out Luis Gil as the starting pitcher in this one, and he should hold the edge over a Cleveland offense that is still in the midst of a cold spell, even after a 9th-inning outburst on Thursday.
Gil was rock solid during the regular season and is certainly a better option than Guardians starter Gavin Williams (4.86 ERA) on the other side. Williams struggled in his most recent meeting against the Yankees back in August, giving up 3 earned runs in just 4.1 innings pitched in that outing. Additionally, New York has to be feeling good about Aaron Judge and the way he’s been swinging the bat over the last couple of games, including a home run to the opposite field on Thursday. It’s hard to gauge how both of these starters will perform in a high-pressure environment, but looking at how they performed all season long, I trust Gil way more than Williams in this spot. And if this comes down to each bullpen, Cleveland’s bullpen has been heavily utilized and taxed to this point in the series, so New York should have the upper hand in that category as well.
Read our full New York Yankees vs Cleveland Guardians prediction
Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Mets best bet: Kike Hernandez to record a hit (-130)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -150.
We took this prop on Thursday and we’re going back to the well on Friday with Kike Hernandez to record a hit. As I’ve said at multiple points during this postseason, it’s hard to imagine where the Los Angeles Dodgers would be right now without Kike Hernandez. The 33-year-old super utility player has long been an outstanding playoff performer in his career with the Dodgers, but his performance in the biggest moments at this stage in his career continues to exceed all expectations. This postseason, Hernandez has racked up 9 hits over his last 24 plate appearances, including back-to-back games in New York with at least 2 hits in this series. Hernandez is 4-of-7 for his career against Mets starter David Peterson, so there’s just no way I could fade Hernandez in this spot. Let’s go for another best bet winner in this market at -150 or better.
Don’t miss our full Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Mets prediction
