MLB Picks & Best Bets (Sept. 24): Astros Have Lynn’s Number
By Robert Duff in MLB Baseball
Updated: March 5, 2021 at 11:56 am ESTPublished:
- The Houston Astros will look to continue their hex over Lance Lynn of the Texas Rangers
- Zach Plesac of the Cleveland Indians seeks his fifth win in six starts
- Check out the early odds and picks for MLB’s Thursday slate (Sept. 24th)
It’s not often that Lance Lynn goes into a start as the betting underdog, unless he’s facing the Houston Astros, that is.
The Texas Rangers right-hander is 6-2 with a 2.53 ERA this season. Lynn is also 1-4 with a 4.50 ERA in his last five starts against the Astros. No wonder then that Houston is the -137 favorite in this game.
The Astros (28-28) are on the verge of clinching one of the final two American League Wild Card playoff spots and a win on Thursday could go a long way toward making that a reality.
The Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox have already booked passage to the postseason. Can Cleveland’s Zach Plesac get the better of former AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel?
NB:Â The table below displays all Sep. 24th games open for betting as of 10:00 pm ET, Sep. 23rd. It may not contain all games scheduled for Sep. 24th.
MLB Sept. 24 Odds
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros (C. Javier) | -137 | -1.5 (+125) | O 7.5 (-120) | 8:05 pm |
| Texas Rangers (L. Lynn) | +116 | +1.5 (-148) | U 7.5 (-103) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Chicago Cubs (A Mills) | -190 | TBD | TBD | 1:35 pm |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (C. Kuhl) | +163 | TBD | TBD | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| New York Mets (D. Peterson) | -118 | TBD | TBD | 6:05 pm |
| Washington Nationals (P. Corbin) | +116 | TBD | TBD | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Chicago White Sox (D. Keuchel) | +104 | TBD | TBD | 6:10 pm |
| Cleveland Indians (Z. Plesac) | -120 | TBD | TBD | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Miami Marlins (P. Lopez) | +155 | +1.5 (-129) | O 9.5 (+100) | 7:10 pm |
| Atlanta Braves (I. Anderson) | +186 | -1.5 (+108) | U 9.5 (-121) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Baltimore Orioles (A. Cobb) | +123 | TBD | TBD | 7:30 pm |
| Boston Red Sox (M. Perez) | -143 | TBD | TBD | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Detroit Tigers (M. Fulmer) | +128 | +1.5 (-150) | O 9.5 (-112) | 8:05 pm |
| Kansas City Royals (K. Bubic) | -155 | -1.5 (+125) | U 9.5 (-108) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Milwaukee Brewers (C. Javier) | -122 | -1.5 (+135) | O 7.5 (-107) | 8:15 pm |
| St. Louis Cardinals (L. Lynn) | +105 | +1.5 (-162) | U 7.5 (-114) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Oakland Athletics (M. Fiers) | +165 | +1.5 (-124) | O 9 (-103) | 9:40 pm |
| Los Angeles Dodgers (W. Buehler) | -200 | -1.5 (+104) | U 9 (-120) |
Odds as of Sept. 23 at DraftKings.
Pick 1: Rangers Moneyline (+116) vs Astros
Reasoning: Astros own Lance Lynn but they’ll be a tired bunch.
Lynn has accounted for 31.57% of all of the Rangers’ wins this season. But he’s been held to account by Houston.
The Astros roughed him up for six earned runs in six innings, including a pair of home runs on Sept. 3. Lynn took the loss in an 8-4 setback.
The Astros lost 2-of-3 in Seattle and won't be able to clinch until Friday at the earliest as a matchup against Lance Lynn looms tomorrow in Arlington
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) September 24, 2020
He was 1-3 against Houston last season. His one win was a gem, though. The Texas ace blanked Houston over seven innings of a 5-0 win on July 11, 2019.
The Astros will be a tired bunch. They’ll have arrived in Arlington, Tex. around 3-4 am from Seattle and will need to arise, adjust to the time zone change and face one of the toughest pitchers in baseball.
Overall, Houston has won 11 of 13 from the Rangers. However, the Astros are just 2-4 in their last six games at Texas. This will be their first visit to Globe Life Park in Arlington.
Pick 2: Indians Moneyline (-120) vs White Sox
Reasoning: White Sox starter Dallas Keuchel just back from IL and still working out the kinks.
His last start was his first back from the IL and the ChiSox limited Keuchel to a 75-pitch count. The veteran lefty allowed four hits and walked three. He also struck out seven and lowered his ERA to 2.04.
An immaculate inning for Zach Plesac!
✅9 pitches
✅3 strikeouts
✅1 smile from Zach 😀#OurTribe | @Indians pic.twitter.com/0DapixQXsE— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) September 18, 2020
In Plesac’s seven starts this season, he’s 4-2 with a .185 ERA and 0.781 WHIP. He’s struck out 50 in 48.2 innings.
During his last start against the Detroit Tigers, Plesac matched his season high with 11 strikeouts in 7.2 innings. He beat the White Sox 7-1 on Aug. 8. Plesac pitched six scoreless innings and struck out seven.
Plesac is 4-1 in his last five starts. He’s allowed one run or fewer in five of his seven starts this season.
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
