Toronto Blue Jays at. Baltimore Orioles
Pick: Orioles ML (+110)
This was a frustrating way to start a frustrating day. Sharps were on the Orioles, as their price fell from +120 to as low as +105 in some spots. The name Wade LeBlanc is generally not turning any heads for baseball fans, but he has quietly been serviceable in 2020. I was hoping that the hot-hitting Orioles would be able to keep up their streak against top-prospect Nate Pearson. The Orioles went down early but were able to battle back to a 7-7 game in the 7th inning.
In the 10th inning with runners on second and third, Chris Davis made a great stop on a Vlad Guerrero Jr. ground ball, before throwing a one-hopper to the plate that the catcher could not handle, allowing the go-ahead run to score. There’s nothing more frustrating than losing on a play like this…
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/yGReIT5VEh
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 19, 2020
Final: 8-7 Blue Jays
Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars
Pick: Dallas Stars ML
This has been one of the most exciting, back and forth series in the NHL restart. These games have been both low-scoring and high-scoring, but all have been decided by a margin of two or less. Although I liked the Flames coming into this series, the Stars have shown that they are simply built for these playoffs. The goaltending has been great, especially given that starter Ben Bishop has been out. John Klingberg scored the go-ahead goal for the Stars in the third, as they rode their strong, physical defense to a 2-1 victory and 3-2 series lead.
Final: 2-1 Stars
Cleveland Indians at. Pittsburgh Pirates
Pick: Under 9 (-110)
Another extra-inning game, another frustrating outcome. We had two anemic offenses up against each other in the Indians and Pirates. This line fluctuated all day between 8.5 and 9, so I was happy to get the higher number, although I didn’t think 8.5 would be a bad play.
The runner on second base starting in the 10th inning creates an impossible situation. As a bettor, I’m not looking for extras anyway, but the runner on second rule just creates an extra layer of unpredictability. In this one, we saw the 10th kick off with Cesar Hernandez on 2nd. After Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch, Carlos Santana hit this nail-biter of a home run that needed a video review before it caused us to push. What a shot.
Don’t blink.#OurTribe | #WWWWindians pic.twitter.com/6w5zO6TnoZ
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 19, 2020
Final: 6-3 Indians
Overall:
Daily Figure: 2-3-1 -1.36U
Weekly Figure: -1.67U
