Today marks the final day before the 2024 MLB all-star break, and thus all 30 teams are in action this Sunday. Several teams will look to maximize the availability of their bullpens while others will look to continue momentum for their ace-level starters. There are several intriguing matchups from an entertainment perspective, but from a betting viewpoint there are a couple angles showing solid value in tandem.
Let’s dive in!
Chris Paddack (MIN) Under 15.5 outs recorded + New York Mets Over 2.5 runs scored (+102)
Chris Paddack has struggled with injuries for the past several seasons, making just 5 starts and 8 appearances in both 2022 and 2023 combined. He hasn’t pitched more than 108.1 innings since his rookie season in 2019, and after 78.1 innings this season he needed rest with arm fatigue. We see dominant pitchers battle back from Tommy John surgery more and more often these days, but it is still a very tough injury from which to recover. Paddack was only averaging 86.1 pitches per start before hitting the injured list, and in his return to the rotation last week he saw just 78 pitches and 19 batters faced. Minnesota has playoff hopes and they would like Paddack to be a piece of their depth when they get there. With a rested bullpen that is performing extremely well this season, and an extended break starting tomorrow with the all-star break, this seems like an opportune spot to limit Paddack’s workload.