The Daily Sweat: Phillies and Dodgers look to take control with Game 2 wins
The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres could be in a lot of trouble after Wednesday, for a bit different reasons.
The Padres are up against a Los Angeles Dodgers juggernaut. They lost Game 1 on Tuesday after falling behind early. San Diego has been dominated by the Dodgers recently and while they'd be heading home after Game 2, it's tough to see the Padres winning three in a row in the best-of-five series.
The Philadelphia Phillies are no juggernaut, but a 2-0 lead going home would be huge. The Braves dug an early hole in Game 1 and battled back but the Phillies held on to a 7-6 win. The Braves understand how fickle the postseason can be. Last season they weren't the best team over the regular season but got hot and won a World Series. This season they were spectacular after a poor April, but one NLDS loss has put them in a really urgent spot for Game 2.
Both home teams are favorites at BetMGM, just as they were for Game 1. The Braves are -140 and the Dodgers are -200.
The bad news for the Braves is they have to face Zack Wheeler. Wheeler had a tremendous regular season for the Phillies, posting a 2.82 ERA, and came back healthy late in the season after a stint on the injured list. Braves starter Kyle Wright was 21-5 in the regular season so the Braves have confidence in him.
The Padres are hoping Yu Darvish continues his hot streak. Darvish was fine until September, when he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Darvish posted a 1.85 ERA and 0.795 WHIP in September and October. He'll go against Clayton Kershaw in what looks like a must-win game for San Diego.
The MLB regular season is a long grind and then the playoffs move incredibly fast. In less than 48 hours, the Padres and Braves could go from optimism and excitement to feeling the pressure of being a loss away from their seasons ending.
Here's a first look at the sports betting slate for Wednesday:
Avalanche raise a banner
There are 12 NHL teams that will start their seasons on Wednesday night, including the reigning Stanley Cup champs.
The Colorado Avalanche get the Chicago Blackhawks at home, and they'll raise a championship banner in front of their home fans. Based on the odds it should be a fun party; the Avs are a whopping -400 favorite over an overmatched Chicago Blackhawks team.
That will be the second game of the TNT doubleheader. In the first game, the Washington Capitals host the Boston Bruins. Washington is a -155 favorite.
One college football game
Wednesday college football games will always seem like a strange novelty. This week we get Louisiana at Marshall. Marshall is 3-2 and a 10.5-point home favorite. Marshall's defense has been very good, allowing just 16.2 points per game. The total at BetMGM is 46.5 and perhaps the under is worth a look.
What's the best bet?
I'll go zig-zag betting and take the Braves and Padres. I don't think the Braves are going to go down 0-2, though I think Wheeler is a tremendous pitcher and it's a tough task. It's hard to back the Padres but Darvish has been tremendous lately. He's a streaky pitcher and while he's running hot, he's not a bad bet as a huge underdog.
