Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three). It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
Here are the best bets for Saturday, August 6:
TOP PLAY
The play: MLB, St. Louis Cardinals money line over New York Yankees
The odds/bet: -110 ($33 to win $30)
The book: BetMGM
Time/TV: 6:15 p.m. (Fox)
Our take: It’s been a rough week for us in baseball betting, so we’ll try to end the week on a good note. We’ve got two teams here with opposite momentum, and we’ll try to capitalize.
The Cardinals came back to win the series opener here, and have won seven of their past eight games. The Yankees, once the best team in baseball by a full five games, have lost four out of five and are just 6-9 since the All-Star break. They’re still in first place by a comfortable 10½ games, but their lead over the Houston Astros for home-field advantage in the AL playoffs is down to a half-game.
The interesting dynamic in this one: The Cardinals send to the mound Jordan Montgomery, whom they just acquired from none other than the Yankees. Montgomery’s first start with the birds on the bat comes against his old team. You could argue either side could derive an edge from that, but either way, the truth is Montgomery has been much better than Yankees starter Domingo German, who has been blasted in his only three starts this season.
Aaron Judge is still hitting homers at a prolific rate, but without Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees lineup has started to slump a bit everywhere else. Here’s betting that keeps up for another day.
EPL SUNDAY
The play: English Premier League, Brighton +1 goal vs. Man United
The odds/bet: +120 ($10 to win $12)
The book: FanDuel
Time/TV: 8 a.m. Sunday (Peacock)
Our take: After hitting on a plus money bet in the EPL on Saturday morning, we’ll give it another go on Sunday.
Brighton is better than their point total from last year would indicate, if you go by expected goals and possession maps. Manchester United, while it’s one of the world’s most famous clubs, has had a tumultuous offseason — the Red Devils still haven’t figured out what to do with Cristiano Ronaldo, who walked off the pitch early during a friendly and could be sold but also might start Sunday.
Who knows what frame of mind Man United will be in here? The Old Trafford crowd likely will provide a boost, but this is a tough opening assignment for United, and getting a goal to play with for Brighton — you win in a draw, and a one-goal loss pushes — is a good bargain.
HOW WE’VE FARED
Friday’s best bets
(From Wednesday) PGA Wyndham Championship: Webb Simpson to finish in top 10 (LOST $12)
MLB, Nationals over Phillies (LOST $15)
MLB, Pirates over Orioles (LOST $20)
MLB parlay, Rockies +1.5 over Diamondbacks/Reds +1.5 over Brewers (LOST $10)
English Premier League, Leeds to beat Wolverhampton (WON $13.50)
Friday’s profit/loss: -$43.50 (1-4)
Total for the week: -$168.70 (2-10)
Total for August: -$168.70 (2-10)
Total for 2022: -$308.80 (193-225)
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, a $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).
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Categories: Upstate Action
