Fifteen games are on the betting board for Tuesday and all of them are night games, as we go from a night full of quality pitching matchups to one that is lacking in that department. We do get Justin Verlander vs. Dylan Cease, though, so that should be a fun one with the top two contenders for the AL Cy Young Award.
Underdogs did okay last night, though not the ones I picked. The Marlins, Nationals, Rays, Orioles, White Sox and Tigers in Game 2 all came through, while several big favorites also held serve in their expected roles. It’s just going to be like that the rest of the MLB season and if you’re betting dogs, you hope you pick the right ones.
But, hey, college football season starts in 10 days, so there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
Phillies/Reds: It sure feels like Noah Syndergaard is just trying to thread the needle in his starts with the Phillies. I mentioned at the time of the trade that I’d like to see more strikeouts because the Phillies infield defense is a problem area. He’s allowed 25 hits in just 18 innings, but has been able to limit the damage to nine runs. He’s got 12 strikeouts against two walks, so the control has been helpful, but it’s going to be very touch-and-go in his starts moving forward. He’s also pitching to more fly ball contact, which is weird given that he’s almost exclusively throwing sinkers and sliders right now. Those pitches usually induce grounders.