Daily Picks 10/02: AL Wild Card Game

I have been looking forward to and hoping for this game for a while now. These two teams may not be the most talented, but they are managed smartly, and consistently challenge despite two of the smallest pay rolls in the majors. This game is incredibly tight, with the Rays one of the best road teams this season, and the Athletics one of the best teams at home. However, the two pitchers on the mound means there is still a play for us in this one.

Here are Today’s MLB Picks:

Tampa Bay Rays @ Oakland Athletics

1u – Under 7.5 Total Runs @ -110

- The Oakland Athletics averaged 2.28 runs per game in their last seven games

- In September, Charlie Morton had a 2.73 ERA and Sean Manaea had a 1.21 ERA

This is one fantastic pitching matchup, with two pitchers in really good form over the last month. Manaea has been fantastic since coming off the injured list, and Morton has bounced back after a tough couple of months by his standard in July and August. Offensively the Athletics struggled to get anything going in the last week, and the Rays were shut down in the final weekend of the season by the Blue Jays. Additionally, per statschecker, the under is 43-36-2 in Athletics home games this season, as well as 5-3-1 in Rays road games where the spread is 7.5 runs or below.

By Ben Rolfe