All four underdogs barked to some degree in Game 1, but only one of them wound up having some bite. And even that one got precarious at the end. That lone dog to come through has a decent chance to go up 2-0 in the early game of the best-of-five series, as the Phillies and Braves play at 4:35 p.m. ET. The only other game today is the other NLDS tilt with the Padres and Dodgers at 8:37 p.m. ET.
With only two games, it gives me the chance to talk a little bit about what we’ve seen and how to proceed. Let’s start with my Guardians. After the fourth inning, I tweeted that the fifth should be Cal Quantrill’s final inning no matter what. Turning the lineup over to face Aaron Judge a third time was an unnecessary risk with a rested bullpen and potentially two days off after the game because of Thursday’s forecast.
I was driving to my birthday dinner (Hank’s at Green Valley Ranch was awesome!), so I didn’t get a live bet in on the Yankees, but if I had seen that Quantrill was coming back out (I assumed he wouldn’t because if I’m thinking it, the manager should be thinking it), it would’ve been an instant fire on New York with a run line or moneyline wager. These are the types of leverage points you want to look for. Managerial decisions are magnified in what is generally a lower run environment and this was an enormous faux pas from Francona.
The Guardians may not have scored two more runs, but they sure as hell weren’t scoring four more. You have to do whatever you can to keep that a 2-1 game. They didn’t and gave themselves no shot to come back. Those are the types of cues you should look for in terms of in-game wagering.