It has already been a wild week on the Major League Baseball diamond. The playoffs for all intents and purposes began on Monday, when the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves played an unexpected double-header (they split, sending both teams to the official postseason). The Mets stayed hot and upset the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild-card round, sending them into a Division Series against the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies . Saturday's jam-packed schedule also includes Game 1 between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees.
Let's take a look at today's best bets, and you can also find out our'MLB picks for each game – with our experts currently on an epic 13-4 run!'
'
New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies best bet: Phillies -1.5 (+124)'
There is no need to overthink this one. All you need to do is look at the pitching matchup, which is Zack Wheeler of Philadelphia going up against New York's Kodai Senga. The Mets don't have much choice. They have played 5 games in the last 5 days and their pitching is depleted. Senga wasn't used because…well…he has missed basically the entire season. In fact, the right-hander has started just once in 2024 due to various injuries. The Phillies, on the other hand, are well rested following a first-round bye and have their ace going on a boatload of rest. Wheeler'compiled'a career-best 2.57 ERA across 32 starts this year and since the beginning of August owns a'1.89 ERA in 11 starts – all of which were quality outings. As if that isn't enough, Wheeler has been incredible in the playoffs in recent seasons. It is true that the Mets have momentum from their thrilling victories this week, but I don't think that offse ts all of the Phillies' sizable advantages.'