The regular season baseball Monday is here and I am sad. But I am not here to wallow in the late-season woes. I am here to finish the season strong and provide you with three locks to pad your end of the season bankroll:
Royals @ Indians Pitcher to Record a Win
Few pitchers have been as good as Cal Quantrill in the second half of the season. The son of former Major League reliever Paul Quantrill has dominated with a 1.76 ERA across 13 starts since the All-Star Break and should continue that success against a Royals team that has scored just 7 runs total in its last 4 games. That doesn’t even include Quantrill’s last start on September 21st when he limited Kansas City to 1 ER over 6.2 innings. Facing Quantrill is former top prospect Jackson Kowar, who hasn’t been able to translate his potential into success at the Major League level. While the Cleveland offense isn’t anything special, they do still have Jose Ramirez in the middle of the lineup and he has been on fire of late (211 wRC+ in the last two weeks). At +140, those odds are fantastic for what should be a fairly simple win for Quantrill and the Indians.
Pick: Cal Quantrill to Record a Win (+140 DK)
White Sox @ Tigers Moneyline
We have an upset special for you on Monday afternoon, as the AL Central champion Chicago White Sox faces the Detroit Tigers. The same Detroit Tigers that swept a two-game series with Chicago last week is now at +130 to win on Monday as Dallas Keuchel takes the mound to face Matt Manning. Since giving up 8 ERs against Oakland on September 2nd, Manning has allowed just 5 ERs over three starts, which span 14 innings. Keuchel meanwhile, has followed up a stretch of four starts allowing at least 5 ERs with back-to-back 2 ER outings. However, in his last start against Detroit, he allowed 11 hits which is not a recipe for success. Keuchel will not be able to get away with that many baserunners again and I believe Manning and Detroit outduel him today at home.
Pick: Tigers ML (+130 DK, +124 FD)
Athletics @ Mariners Total Runs After 5 Innings
Cole Irvin and Chris Flexen face off for the second time in five days as the Athletics travel up to Seattle for a Monday night battle. Both teams are on the outside looking in for the last Wild Card spot and this is a must-win for each. So you know that both pitchers and defenses are going to be locked into every pitch and on top of their games. Flexen outdueled Irvin last Wednesday as Seattle took down Oakland 4-1, as part of a four-game sweep. I think runs will be at a premium again with these two on the mound and to avoid the chaos that bullpens can provide, we are going to focus on the first five innings and take the under 4.5.
Pick: UNDER 4.5 Runs (-110 DK)
Kyle Stanzel’s Overall Record: 48-57-3
Net Money (Assuming all wagers are $100): $166.58
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)