Media by Associated Press – Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The last week of August is upon us, and the MLB playoff races are heating up into the final month. With three Wild Card teams in each league this season, more teams are still alive in the playoff races as the calendar gets ready to turn to September later this week.
There isn’t a full slate of games on Monday, but there are still eight games. Of those, five are in the National League, two are in the American League, and one is an inter-league matchup. Let’s take a look at the three best bets for Monday’s MLB slate.
Dodgers Rolling in Miami
With the best record in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers look to finish off the four-game series against former manager Don Mattingly and the Miami Marlins. On paper, this is a giant mismatch with the Dodgers at 88-38 and the Marlins at 55-72. The Dodgers have won two of the first three in the series and are -240 on the money line to take Monday’s game.
The Dodgers close the series with 16-game winner Tony Gonsolin on the mound. The right-hander is 16-1 with a 2.20 ERA, and he’s gone at least five innings in all but one start since April.
Miami is 26-35 at home on the season, and they are 3-7 in their last ten games. They have the worst batting average (.196) and the least amount of runs scored per game (2.2) in the Majors this month.
The Dodgers are batting .286 with 38 home runs in August; both stats rank second in the league behind St. Louis. They also lead the Majors in ERA (2.33) and wins (20) this month. The Dodgers are a great bet to win outright on Monday, and the -1.5 run line at -135 is also a good bet.
Red Sox Struggles Continue
The Boston Red Sox continue to struggle, and a loss at home Sunday to Tampa Bay put them at 3-7 in the last 10. Now they travel to Minnesota to take on a Twins team in the thick of a Wild Card race and on a three-game win streak. The Twins are 38-28 at home this season, and they are -140 on Monday.
Boston will send RHP Brayan Bello to the mound, and the 23-year-old is 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA. He has gone just five innings in one start this season, and the Boston bullpen hasn’t been good.
Minnesota’s Dylan Bundy lost his last start, but he is 7-6 on the season. He beat the Red Sox earlier this season with one run allowed on five hits over 5⅓ innings as he struck out six. The Twins have scored 20 runs in the last three games, sweeping San Francisco, and they are in line to make it four straight on Monday.
Burnes Leads Brewers Against Pittsburgh
The pitching matchup in Milwaukee on Monday is a huge mismatch as the Brewers send Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes (9-6, 2.84) to the mound against Pittsburgh RHP J.T. Brubaker (3-11, 4.39).
Milwaukee is 4-2 against the Pirates at home this season, and Pittsburgh is 3-7 in their last ten games overall. Milwaukee is -180 to take the series opener as they try to close the gap on the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.
The Brewers are 32-25 at home this season and 3-2 in the last five at American Family Field. Burnes is 3-1 in his last five starts against Pittsburgh with 34 strikeouts in 29 ⅔ innings. At home, he is 1-0 against the Pirates with 18 strikeouts in 11 innings.
Pittsburgh has given Brubaker just 3.7 runs of support per start this season, and he has just one win since June. He is 1-2 against the Brewers this season, with nine runs allowed on 14 hits and nine walks over 16 innings. Both losses came on the road, and he is 0-7 on the road this season.
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