Jul 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively (39) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports Hurricane season is officially underway, with Debby making landfall. That means havoc with the schedule.
There are two unscheduled doubleheaders Wednesday, and that gives a big advantage to teams with strong bullpens.
It’s also a pressure situation for the teams still in the playoff race.
The New York Yankees, for example, have a game in hand on Baltimore, but that only matters if they can sweep the Angels. If they split, an Orioles’ win in Toronto means they’ve given away the short-lived edge.
Here’s a look at the best bets for Wednesday’s action.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cleveland Guardians (first game)
Ben Lively has pitched beautifully at home this season. He’s had one start all year in Cleveland where he allowed more than two earned runs, and he hasn’t come out before the sixth inning at Progressive Field all season. (Ironically, the one exception was when he allowed three runs to the White Sox, the worst offense in baseball).
With this Cleveland bullpen, when the starter can give you at least five and usually six innings, the game is practically over. Cleveland leads the majors with a 2.65 bullpen ERA, and the Guardians’ 38 saves rank second only to St. Louis. The Guardians are built for doubleheaders because they have so many arms available. Conversely, Arizona’s bullpen is one of its biggest weaknesses. If Lively pitches as he usually does, Arizona will likely save its better bullpen arms for Game 2 and take its chances against Carlos Carrasco.
Guardians moneyline (-104 at FanDuel)
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San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals
Blake Snell is going to make a lot of teams wish they traded for him when the lefty was on the block at the trade deadline.
Then again, the Giants are just close enough that he might not have been for sale at a digestible rate.
San Francisco sits 4.5 games out of the last playoff spot, and unlike a lot of teams in that situation, the Giants wouldn’t be going just to make up the numbers. With Snell, Logan Webb and Robbie Ray in the rotation, San Francisco would be frightening for a top team in a short series.
Snell fired a no-hitter against Cincinnati in his previous outing and has pitched well for a month.
In his past five starts, he’s put up a zero in the earned run column four times. Jake Irvin is not pitching so well right now; his ERA over his past five starts is an ugly 6.42. If Snell pitches anything close to what he’s been doing, the Giants should coast.
San Francisco -1.5 (+104, BetRivers)
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Tampa Bay Rays vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Erick Fedde was one of the only good things the White Sox had going for them. Now he’s in St. Louis, trying to pitch the Cardinals into the playoffs. He didn’t have a great debut in red, but that was also against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, where the winds can be unpredictable.
In St. Louis, he should look more like himself.
It helps that he’s facing a familiar opponent in Tampa Bay, which he already beat 4-2 on April 28 by going 8 1/3 innings. Taj Bradley is also coming off a poor showing in his most recent start, but he only allowed one run in the four starts prior to that one. He should bounce back here, leading to a pitcher’s duel in eastern Missouri.
Under 7.5 Runs (-105, Caesars)
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