One of the biggest MLB stories from the weekend was the unprecedented two-year ban that Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer received under the domestic violence policy. He immediately announced plans to appeal, so while he is not the first player suspended under the policy, he will be the first to appeal it. He was accused by a woman in San Diego of sexual assault, but she was denied a restraining order, and no criminal charges were filed. However, MLB investigated the case and decided to institute the ban anyway after finding other women who said Bauer had assaulted them as well. He came to the Dodgers on a three-year, $102 million deal in February 2021 after winning the NL Cy Young Award the year before, and he finished the last 81 regular-season games last year on administrative leave. It will be interesting to see if the ban stands without any civil or criminal penalties in place, and it will also be interesting to see if the NFL follows MLB’s lead in its handling of Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson, who still faces 22 civil suits for sexual assault and harassment from massage therapists in the Houston area. As far as the MLB betting world goes, though, the national pastime rolls on, and here are a couple of series for you to consider.
MLB News: Top Betting Series of the Week
Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland A’s (Monday – Wednesday)
Projected Pitching Matchups:
- Drew Rasmussen (TB) vs Daulton Jefferies (OAK) (9:40 pm ET, Monday)
- Undecided (TB) vs Paul Blackburn (OAK) (9:40 pm ET, Tuesday)
- Corey Kluber (TB) vs Frankie Montas (OAK) (3:37 pm ET, Wednesday)
The Rays had won three straight series, beating the Cubs, Red Sox and Mariners. This weekend, though, they hosted the Minnesota Twins and lost two of three, permitting nine runs each day in losses on Saturday and Sunday. Because of their heavy use of the bullpen in those games, they have yet to name a starter for Tuesday’s game. On Wednesday, former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber (1-1, 3.05 ERA) takes the hill, and day games tend to be lower in scoring, and so that is the game in which I would feel most comfortable picking the Rays. I would also take that game for the “under.”
The A’s are glad that the Cleveland Guardians left town after getting swept over the weekend. Oakland has scored more than three runs just once in their last five games, and that game was a 9-8 loss in the opener on Friday. Cleveland had not swept the A’s in Oakland since 2000, and the Rays could jump on Oakland in the opener, as the A’s will start Daulton Jefferies, who has won just once in three starts. Because the Rays will have a spot starter on Tuesday, I’m leaning toward the A’s in the second game of the series.
Atlanta Braves at N.Y. Mets (Monday – Wednesday)
Projected Pitching Matchups:
- Max Fried (ATL) vs Chris Bassitt (NY) (7:10 pm ET, Monday)
- Charlie Morton (ATL) vs Carlos Carrasco (NY) (3:10 pm ET, FS1, Tuesday)
- Ian Anderson (ATL) vs Tylor Megill (NY) (1:10 pm ET, Wednesday)
The Braves head east sitting in fourth place in the NL East after dropping two of three in Texas. The Braves doubled up the Rangers, 6-3, in the opener, but then the Rangers won a rare pitcher’s duel on Saturday and then got a bases-clearing triple from Adolis Garcia in the third inning to take a 7-2 lead, and the Braves would only add one run after that. Max Fried starts the opener for the Braves, with a decent 2-2 record and a 3.00 ERA, but it is the Atlanta bats that need to wake up a bit.
The Mets lead the NL East with a 16-7 record and took two of three from Philadelphia over the weekend, capping off the series with a 10-6 victory on Sunday. With Chris Bassitt (3-1, 2.25 ERA), Carlos Carrasco (1-1, 4.09 ERA) and Tylor Megill (4-0, 1.93 ERA) on the hill for the Mets, the Braves will see a higher level of pitching than they did in Texas, and this is a series that the Mets could easily sweep. Think about taking the “under” particularly on Monday as Bassitt is joined on the hill by Atlanta’s Max Fried.
L.A. Angels at Boston Red Sox (Tuesday – Thursday)
Projected Pitching Matchups:
- Noah Syndergaard (LA) vs Michael Wacha (BOS) (7:10 pm ET, Tuesday)
- Shohei Ohtani (LA) vs Garrett Whitlock (BOS) (7:10 pm ET, Wednesday)
- Reid Detmers (LA) vs Rich Hill (BOS) (1:35 pm ET, Thursday)
The Angels sit at 15-8, in first place in the AL West, after winning seven of their last eight. They finish a four-game set in Chicago against the White Sox on Monday after having won two of the first three games in those series. The big question mark for the Angels is Shohei Ohtani’s groin, which has him questionable for Monday’s game in Chicago; it is likely that he will not DH in that game and will rest until his start. A groin could limit his innings on Wednesday and could mean that someone else would DH for him, so you’ll want to pay attention to the Angels’ injury report before wagering on this series, especially Wednesday’s game.
Boston had a golden opportunity this weekend, heading to Baltimore with a chance to figure things out, but they dropped two of three, losing Saturday and Sunday. The arrival of the Angels does not promise to make things any easier, but the Red Sox have actually pitched well lately, permitting more than two runs just once in their last five and permitting one or zero runs in three of those; it’s the Boston bats that need to wake up, and with Syndergaard looming, I like the Angels to win the opener. I’m not picking the second game until we learn more about Ohtani’s injury, and I like Boston in the finale, with Rich Hill on the mound.
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