Each day, one of our experts at Homefield Sports will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
Here are the best bets for Friday, August 12:
TOP PLAY
The play: NFL preseason, Eagles pick ’em over Jets
The odds/bet: -110 ($33 to win $30)
The book: Caesars Sportsbook
Time/TV: 7:30 p.m
Our take: Betting on the preseason may seem pointless or even degenerate, but the fact is, bets you win and lose on the NFL’s exhibition games count just as much as the ones you place during the regular season. And sometimes, the edge can be easier to decipher.
This is a pretty simple play based on news reports from Philadelphia and New York, which suggest that the Eagles will play their starters more than the Jets do. That could include Jalen Hurts and his new lead receiver, AJ Brown, looking to create some early chemistry.
Throw in the fact that the Eagles are the deeper team, and we like this game even at a pick ’em (when the aforementioned reports first surfaced, Philly was +3, but alas, that’s the danger in doing our picks daily).
FRIDAY NIGHT MLB
The play: MLB money line, Marlins over Braves
The odds/bet: +125 ($10 to win $12.50)
The book: WynnBET
Time/TV: 6:40 p.m. (MLB TV)
Our take: A year after some under-the-radar trade deadline deals helped the Braves win a surprise World Series, they tried the same tactic this year, eschewing any blockbuster moves for a few deals that increased their depth.
One of them was to get Jake Odorizzi away from the Houston Astros, who didn’t really have room for him in their starting rotation. The Braves were happy to lengthen their own list of starters, but the truth is, Odorizzi hasn’t been nearly as good this year as his 3.76 ERA would suggest. He’s been lucky converting a very high percentage of his fly balls into outs instead of home runs.
On the other side, Marlins starter Pablo Lopez’s under-the-hood numbers back up his 3.50 ERA much better, and although he’s slumped some in the past month, he’s kept his strikeout/walk ratio in a good place.
The Braves have a better lineup than the Marlins, it’s true, but this one is in Miami, and numbers suggest the game should be closer to even money. If that’s the case, take the +125 and see if you can turn it into a profit.
HOW WE’VE FARED
Thursday’s best bets
MLB money line: Red Sox over Orioles (WON $30)
Thursday’s profit/loss: +$30 (1-0)
Total for the week: +$35 (4-2, 1 pending)
Total for August: -$137 (8-14, 1 pending)
Total for 2022: -$277.10 (199-229, 1 pending)
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, a $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).
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Categories: Upstate Action