There is just two months to go in the 2019 MLB regular season! The playoff picture is starting to take shape but there are still plenty of interesting battles within divisions and within the wildcard race! Wednesday offers a massive 15 game slate in the MLB and we have a full preview and tips for value matchups below!
MLB Betting Tips Wednesday 28th August
Chicago Cubs at New York Mets (9.10am AEST)
The Cubs currently sit just t.5 games behind the St Louis Cardinals at the top of the NL Central division in what is currently the tightest divisional race in Major League Baseball. They have won just five of their last 10 games and lost their last three in a row to drop out of the top spot in the division. The Cubs will be on the road Wednesday where they have just a 25-39 record this season.
Right hander Yu Darvish will be on the mound for the Cubs on Wednesday, looking to extend an MLB record streak of five straight starts with at least eight strikeouts and zero walks. He has just a 4-6 record on the season so far with a 4.43 ERA.
He’ll be up against Mets right hander Marcus Stroman, who is 7-11 on the season but has a respectable ERA of 3.18 although he hasn’t been at his best since being traded from Toronto half way through the season. Neither team is in particularly strong form at the moment, but it’s tough to look past that Cubs away record. Mets are good value at home here.
Tampa Bay Rays at Houston Astros (10.10am AEST)
Tampa Bay find themselves in second place in the AL East and while the division win might be a little out of their reach, they are still well and truly in the mix for the wildcard race. They currently sit 0.5 games ahead of the Athletics for the second available wildcard spot, and will need to get back on the winners list after losing their last two on the trot.
It will be an all-star pitching matchup on Wednesday as 13-5 right hander Charlie Morton goes up against 15-5 Justin Verlander. Verlander currently leads the Cy Young race in the American League while Morton is not far behind in sixth place. They both have ERA’s under 3.0 and have dominant statistics.
Tough game to call here with two of the best pitchers in all of baseball starting for either team. The Astros start as slight favourites at home and we have to side with them given their form of late, winning seven of their last 10 and their last four in a row.
Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox (10.10am AEST)
Another tight division race at the moment is the AL Central, where the Minnesota Twins hold just a 3.5 game lead over the Cleveland Indians. They have won seven of their last 10 games and two in a row as they head into a three game away series against the White Sox.
The Sox don’t have much left to play for in 2019 as they sit 19 games behind the Twins in the AL Central division and 15 games outside of the Wild Card race. They’ll have Lucas Giolito on the mound Wednesday, who has been a shining light in the White Sox pitching staff this season. He has a 14-6 record and a 3.20 ERA and is currently ranked 8th in the Cy Young predictor.
Giolito was lights out against the Twins just last week as he struck out 12 and allowed just three hits on his way to a shutout win. On the contrary, the Twins starting pitcher, Michael Pineda, allowed more than three earned runs for just the second time in 17 starts when he faced the Twins last week. Sox look great value at home on Wednesday.
