Media by Associated Press – New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) goes to the dugout against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
There isn’t a full slate of MLB games on Monday with 13 games total, including one doubleheader. But there are still plenty of good bets to make on Labor Day baseball, and we’ve picked out three of the best bets, all involving division leaders.
New York Mets
The New York Mets have 10-game winner Taijuan Walker on the mound Monday afternoon as they start a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets went 5-4 on a nine-game homestand and now head to Pittsburgh with an 85-50 record while the Pirates are 49-84.
The Mets are 39-27 on the road this season. Monday, they face Mitch Keller, who is 4-10 overall and 1-3 in his last five starts, with at least five runs allowed in two of those losses. The Mets have never faced Keller, but the Pirates are bad against right-handed pitchers at 32-53.
This is the first of seven matchups over the next 13 days between the Mets and Pirates. New York is 15-5 against the NL Central this season, while the Pirates are 8-20 against the NL East.
Look for the Mets to end a two-game slide and start their road trip with a win in Pittsburgh. The Mets are -210 on the moneyline and -125 to cover the 1.5-run line.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees avoided being swept in Tampa Bay with a one-run win on Sunday, but they have lost six of the last eight as their lead diminishes in the AL East. The good news is they now return home to face the Minnesota Twins, who have lost three of four.
The pitching matchup favors the Yankees as they send 12-4 Jameson Taillon to the mound against 2-7 Chris Archer. The Twins right-hander is 0-3 with a 6.98 ERA in his last seven starts, and he’s gone just five innings twice in that span.
Meanwhile, Taillon has gone at least six innings in four of his last seven starts and has allowed more than three runs just once since the All-Star break.
The Yankees scored 21 runs in a three-game series in Minnesota in June, and Aaron Judge hit home run number 53 on Sunday. The offense should be able to get to Archer, and he’s been prone to allowing home runs in his career, the Yankees’ strong suit, especially at home. New York is 45-20 at home this season, and they are 22-7 against the AL Central.
The Yankees are -175 on the moneyline for Monday. The -1.5 run line is +115.
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals have won four games in a row after sweeping their rival Chicago Cubs over the weekend. Now with an 8.5-game lead in the NL Central, they potentially get stronger as former ace Jack Flaherty makes his return from the injured list Monday against Washington. Flaherty came back earlier this season, only to get shut down again,
In his last rehab start, Flaherty threw 6⅔ innings, allowing three runs and striking out nine. He stuck out 23 over his last 19 innings in the Minors while getting ready to return to St. Louis.
The Cardinals’ offense leads MLB in home runs since August 1, and six different players on the roster have gone deep in their careers against Washington’s Monday starter, Anibal Sanchez.
On July 29, the Cardinals scored six runs off Sanchez in six innings with home runs by Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar. Albert Pujols has a .355 career average against Sanchez with a home run, while Nolan Arenado is batting .333, and Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .313.
Look for the Cardinals to keep their win streak going on Monday, and they are -1.5 on the run line at -120. The money line is -250 for the Cardinals to beat the Nats.
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