MLB Playoff Race Picks: Mets at Cubs; Tigers vs Guardians

Unlike the Detroit Tigers, I had a good night on Tuesday, punching my tickets for three prop bet wins in my MLB bets. That was good for $308.50 (or two full units).

We'll see more playoff race drama on Wednesday, as these games have postseason implications:

• Detroit at Cleveland
• White Sox at New York
• Boston at Toronto
• Houston at A's
• Colorado at Seattle
• Miami at Philadelphia
• NY Mets at Cubs
• Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
• Dodgers at Arizona

Bold indicates teams that are still playing for a playoff spot OR jostling for playoff position.

For Wednesday MLB action, I have three moneyline picks. It's back to basics. For the season, I'm about $1,300 up, or about 16 units.

Odds for this article are from the experts at Caesars Sportsbook.

Red Sox -1.5 at Blue Jays: +126

Funny thing about the stretch drive and playoff races: when a team needs to win, they have a hyper-focus to succeed. When a team has already clinched, they often pull a Frankie Goes Hollywood: they relax.

That's Boston and Toronto. The Jays are in the postseason tournament, but Boston is battling to secure a wild card spot. On Tuesday the Sox secured a big victory in Canada, moving into the 5th playoff spot, one game ahead of spiraling Detroit.

The offense has been humming for the Sox: which is why I like the team to win by at least two runs tonight vs TOR.

Guardians -1.5 runs vs Tigers: +168

How do you handle stress? It's probably something you'd rather not do, and it's likely difficult. On Tuesday, the Detroit Tigers illustrated that they aren't dealing with the stress of the playoff race well. Detroit lost 5-2 in the first game of a critical series against Cleveland.

With a 2-0 lead in the sixth, ace Tarik Skubal imploded. He made a puzzling decision to scoop the baseball between his legs backwards toward first base. That ended with an error and the first run scoring. Soon after, Skubal baled, tossed a wild pitch, and basically looked like a nervous man having a breakdown on the mound.

The G's are now in first place. Only 13 days ago, Cleveland was 10 games behind Detroit. The Tigers are now only one game ahead in the race for the last wild card spot in the American League.

I wish I could show faith in Detroit. The team had been in first place for five months until Tuesday. At one point the Tigers had a 14.5 game lead in the division. At the All-Star break, they had baseball's best record.

But Detroit was never as good as that first half record showed. They are also not as bad as their recent collapse. But, it doesn't matter now: AJ Hinch's team is like a deer in the headlights: we're all just waiting for that THUD.

Jack Flaherty's middle name isn't legally "Inconsistent," but it could be. The Detroit righty is taking the ball for this division battle, and that has to worry Detroit baseball fans. Cleveland minus 1/5 runs is a good, smart bet tonight.

Mets to Win and Total Runs Over 6.5 vs Cubs: +220

Francisco Lindor, New York Mets (GETTY)

We scored a big win on Tuesday when Francisco Lindor had two hits for the Mets in that team's huge win over the Cubs in the Windy City. The Mets grabbed back the third wild card spot from Cincinnati, which lost.

The Mets win was impressive because it represented their largest comeback victory of the season: five runs. A clutch two-run jack by another Francsico (Alvarez) was the difference in the eighth. Following that development, Edwin Diaz was dominant in a six-out save.

Momentum? Is it real in sports? Maybe. And if it is, the Mets have it following that dramatic win on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.

I love the Mets to win this game and for the scoring to be plentiful again. 16 runs scored on Tuesday, and more left turns are in store for this second game. Your winning $100 bet would be worth $220 if the Mets win and the total runs are over 6.5 tonight.

Other MLB Picks

• Pirates to Win on Moneyline: +100
  Paul Skenes will make his final start of what should be his first Cy Young Award season.
• Under 7.5 Runs, MIA vs PHI: +120
  Two tough lefties match: Weathers and Luzardo. Should be a low-scoring, tight contest.
• Diamondbacks +132 to Defeat Dodgers
  Scant playoff hopes stay alive for Arizona, a scrappy team.
• Astros vs A's: Under 6.5 Runs: +135
  Houston sends ace Hunter Brown against A's in Sacramento
• White Sox +300 against Yankees
  The last four times the Yanks have clinched a playoff spot, they lost the next game.