Walk-Off Wagers: MLB Best Bets Today (Predictions for Dodgers-Brewers and Astros-Rays)

Breaking down the best bets to place for the Major League Baseball action on Wednesday, Aug. 14.

Aug 13, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) flips his bat away after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve got a full day of MLB on the slate, and there are plenty of ways to get in on the action. Today, I am zeroing in on two matchups: the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Milwaukee Brewers and the Hosuton Astros at the Tampa Bay Rays.  

All bets listed below present good value and can be found at DraftKings.

Let’s get to it! 

MLB Best Bets Today for Wednesday, Aug. 14

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers Predictions and Best Bets

Dodgers at Brewers over nine runs (-105)

Milwaukee Brewers ML (+100)

I’ll be backing the home dogs tonight in Milwaukee. 

Walker Buehler has not pitched since June 18 and is returning from the injured list after dealing with hip inflammation. 

Before landing on the IL, Walker had a rough start to the season with a 5.84 ERA. Buehler has not looked the same since returning from his second Tommy John surgery, and though he is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA vs. the Brewers in his career, I’m throwing that out the window.  Milwaukee has scored three or fewer in its past four games after a four-game stretch in which it scored 42 runs.

The Brewers are due for some positive regression at home tonight in this matchup.

Yes, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball, and they have won four of the five matchups with the Brewers this season. However, the Brewers’ +98 run differential is not far behind the Dodgers’ +105, and they have a 33-24 home record.

This could turn into a slugfest, with Frankie Montas having an 8.50 ERA in four starts since the All-Star Break.

The Brewers have scored 5.91 runs per game in August, while the Dodgers have scored 5.27.  The Brewers have the better bullpen, so we will root for the Brewers to win by a run in a high-scoring affair. 

Houston Astros at Tampa Bay Rays Predictions and Best Bets

Both Teams to score 2+ runs in the First Five Innings (+160)

The Astros will be looking to win their eighth consecutive game tonight at Tropicana Field.  

Ronel Blanco will start for Houston, and though he began the season as Houston’s ace, he has started to show some signs of fatigue.  

Since the All-Star Break, Blanco has had an ERA of 5.68 compared to his 2.68 ERA before the All-Star Break.  His 3.59 walks per nine innings are the fifth-most among qualified starters this season, and his 1.34 home runs per nine rank 15th.  

Last week, in his start vs. the Rays, he allowed two earned runs before getting into trouble and exiting early.   

When Blanco does get into trouble, it's usually in the first or fifth inning. Blanco has an ERA of 4.09 in the first inning and an ERA of 4.74 in the fifth. 

The Rays will start Zack Littell at home tonight. Though Littell held the Astros to one run through six innings last week, I don’t expect the same tonight.   

Littell’s home run numbers are even higher than Blanco’s. He has allowed the 11th-most home runs per nine this season, and both Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez have been hot in August.  

Bregman has hit a home run in four consecutive games and will be looking to make it five tonight. Alvarez and Bregman are the reigning co-players of the Week in the AL and have scored 22 combined runs in the first eleven games of August. 

The Astros are averaging 2.48 runs per game in the first five this season, while the Rays are averaging 2.01.  The game total is set at eight today, and both bullpens have been excellent to start August with a combined ERA of just 2.00.   I see both teams scoring a couple early if we are getting close to eight. 

That’s enough to have me taking a chance on this plus money payout. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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