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Phillies Open October-ish Tigers Series as a Home Favorite Behind Ranger Suarez
By Joe Tansey
Published:
It’s August 1st, but there will be a distinct October feel to the series opener between the Phillies and Tigers.
Two of the best teams in baseball are squaring off on the day after the trade deadline, and the weather will be unseasonably cool and October-esque by the time the sun sets.
The Jack Flaherty vs. Ranger Suarez pitching matchup has a Game 2 feel to it. Saturday’s Tarik Skubal vs. Zack Wheeler battle will feel like a Game 1 or Game 5 of a playoff series.
More than anything, I’d expect to see a ton of strikeouts, especially in the first five innings.
Detroit has the fifth-highest strikeout total in the majors and Flaherty has at least seven punchouts in five of his last six appearances.
The easiest approach here is to combine Flaherty’s over 6.5 strikeouts and Suarez’s over 5.5 strikeouts for BetMGM’s Any Sport No Sweat Token. That two-leg Same Game Parlay pays out at +210.
Just because strikeouts are in the mix, that doesn’t mean that hits will come at a premium. Flaherty allowed at least four hits in every July start and Suarez conceded at least five hits in all four of his starts in the last month.
Nick Castellanos has the best head-to-head history out of both rosters. He owns a .385 batting average in 13 at-bats versus Flaherty, who has been hit a bit better by right-handed hitters.
Spencer Torkelson is Detroit’s best batter against left-handed pitching. I would combine Torkelson and Castellanos to get a hit with Flaherty and Suarez to each have 5+ strikeouts to use bet365’s 50 percent SGP Boost. That SGP is +350 before the boost is applied.
Singles and doubles are more in the forecast on Friday with the wind projected to blow in from center field and the cooler temperature in play. If you’re combing New Jersey sports betting apps, or PA apps, and going to bet a home run, I’d take Kyle Schwarber for obvious reasons. BetMGM has a Big Fly Friday promotion in which you can win a share of $100,000 in bonus bets if the player you pick to hit a home run hits the longest dinger on Friday’s slate.
Joe Tansey writes sports betting posts for Crossing Broad and also covers the Philadelphia Union for his Substack site, Union Soccer Blog.