MLB Best Bets: Back Two Road Underdogs at Plus Money

MLB Best Bets: Back Two Road Underdogs at Plus Money

Happy Tuesday!  

Let’s have some fun and look at a couple of plus-money dogs that could be worth a wager Tuesday night—all odds according to DraftKings

Braves ML +145 at DraftKings   

Sure, the Braves are at home, and yes, Reynaldo Lopez has been excellent to start the season, but +145 for the Red Sox to pull off the upset looks mighty fine to me.

Kutter Crawford gets the start for the Red Sox, and he has been excellent this year. If you’re a fantasy baseball enthusiast, you probably already know this. He was one of my favorite sleepers heading into the season and became a waiver wire must-add some time ago.

But I digress.

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Boston Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford on April 5, 2024.

Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

Crawford has a 1.56 ERA this season and isn’t allowing hard contact. His 26.1% hard-hit rate is in the top 3% of the league.   

The Braves have scored the second-most runs per game this season (5.09), but their bats have been cold for the past two weeks. They have managed only 3.18 runs per game across the past two weeks of play. That ranks 27th out of 30 MLB teams. 

The Red Sox have averaged 4.92 runs per game across the last two weeks of play, ranking seventh in MLB. 

The public will be all on the Braves bouncing back at home.  After all, the Braves are 11-4 this season when they are the home favorite. It’s tempting to back the home team, but the +145 is even more enticing. 

Houston Astros ML +105 at DraftKings 

The Yankees swept Houston in the first series of the season at Minute Maid, and now they even get home-field advantage.

So, why are we backing the Houston Astros, whose bullpen has blown nine saves? 

Justin Verlander.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander takes the mound Tuesday.

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Verlander has been sharp since returning from the IL, allowing only four earned runs across three starts and 17 1/3 innings pitched.  Not only that, but this Yankees lineup is hitting a collective .158 and slugging a mere .354 lifetime vs. Verlander.

Both teams have hit well recently, and yes, Juan Soto seems to be Houston’s daddy, but for the plus-money payout, I’m willing to bet the road team comes out on top in a low-scoring affair Tuesday. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Giancarlo Stanton Crushed by MLB Fans for Swinging at Laughably Bad Pitch

Giancarlo Stanton Crushed by MLB Fans for Swinging at Laughably Bad Pitch

It's not often that you can turn on a Major League Baseball game and see a player do something that you could easily do. Baseball at the professional level is a very a hard sport and the majority of us would look silly if we ever got the chance to play in a game.

But thanks to a swing by New York Yankees star Giancarlo Stanton during Tuesday night's loss to the Baltimore Orioles, fans everywhere were able to feel a sense of commonality, as New York's designated hitter whiffed on a pitch that was nowhere near the strike zone.

Seriously, any of us could have done this:

That's not the best of looks for Stanton.

MLB fans had fun ripping him: