MLB Picks & Best Bets (Sep. 17): Red-Hot Yankees Take Advantage of Slumping Blue Jays
- The Blue Jays can minimize the damage against the Yankees by salvaging a win as underdogs on Thursday, Sept. 17
- A battle between an ace and a potential future ace takes place when the Indians visit the Tigers
- Check out the article below for early odds and picks on MLB’s Thursday slate (Sep. 17th)
The American League playoff field is nearly set in stone, but there is plenty of maneuvering teams can do to move up or down in the seedings.
A pair of pivotal matchups take place Thursday with AL seeding implications involved, as the Toronto Blue Jays host the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians visit the Detroit Tigers.
NB: The table below displays all Sep. 17th games open for betting as of 10:00 pm ET, Sep. 16th. It may not contain all games scheduled for Sep. 17th.
MLB Odds: Sep. 17th
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks (A. Young) | +141 | +1.5 (TBD) | Over 10.0 (+100) | 4:10 pm |
| LA Angels (G. Canning) | -153 | +1.5 (TBD) | Under 10.0 (-120) | |
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| SF Giants (T. Anderson) | -141 | -1.5 (TBD) | Over 9.0 (+100) | 4:10 pm |
| Seattle Mariners (N. Margevicius) | +130 | +1.5 (TBD) | Under 9.0 (-120) | |
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Toronto Blue Jays (C. Anderson) | +184 | +1.5 (TBD) | Over 9.5 (-104) | 7:05 pm |
| NY Yankees (M. Tanaka) | -200 | -1.5 (TBD) | Under 9.5 (-116) | |
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| NY Mets (S. Lugo) | +125 | +1.5 (TBD) | Over 8.0 (-105) | 7:05 pm |
| Philadelphia Phillies (A. Nola) | -135 | -1.5 (TBD) | Under 8.0 (-115) | |
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| St Louis Cardinals (D. Hudson) | -163 | -1.5 (TBD) | Over 9.0 (-105) | 7:05 pm |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (S. Brault) | +150 | +1.5 (TBD) | Under 9.0 (-115) | |
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Texas Rangers (J. Lyles) | +201 | +1.5 (TBD) | Over 9.5 (+100) | 7:10 pm |
| Houston Astros (F. Valdez) | -222 | -1.5 (TBD) | Under 9.5 (-120) | |
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Cleveland Indians (S. Bieber) | -263 | -1.5 (TBD) | Over 7.5 (+105) | 7:10 pm |
| Detroit Tigers (C. Mize) | +235 | +1.5 (TBD) | Under 7.5 (-125) | |
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| LA Dodgers (J. Urias) | -161 | -1.5 (TBD) | Over 11.5 (-105) | 8:40 pm |
| Colorado Rockies (K. Freeland) | +148 | +1.5 (TBD) | Under 11.5 (-115) |
Odds as of Sept. 16th.
Pick 1: Yankees Moneyline (-200) vs Blue Jays
Reasoning: Toronto is in a state of turmoil.
The Blue Jays have been a fun if not unexpected entrant into the AL playoff push — but they might be showing their true colors a bit against a superior opponent.
After a 20-6 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday — in a very important series that could move one of these teams as high as the 5-seed and as low as number 8 — Toronto turned around on Wednesday to take another beating, 13-2.
For the first time in @Yankees history, they have hit 6+ HR in back-to-back games. pic.twitter.com/lHPGlckQzl
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) September 17, 2020
As Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton ease back into action, the Yankees seem to be finding their groove. They’ve won seven in a row — including three against Toronto — looking like the AL titan we all expected.
Pick 2: Indians Moneyline (-263) vs Tigers
Reasoning: Shane Bieber is worth believing in.
If you’re looking at Thursday’s line on the Indians vs. Tigers game, and you’re thinking back to Shane Bieber’s last start, a twinge of doubt might enter your mind. Suppress that.
Yes, Bieber’s start on Friday against the Twins ended in a loss, as he allowed three runs on five hits and two walks in seven innings. But guess what? That’s still a quality start. His offense just didn’t back him.
6th strikeout of the night. 100th strikeout of the season.
Shane Bieber is the first pitcher in club history to reach 100 strikeouts in first ten starts of a season!#OurTribe pic.twitter.com/cptTsUPTVx
— FOX Sports Cleveland (@FOXSportsCLE) September 12, 2020
On the season, Bieber still boasts a 1.53 ERA, a 2.04 WHIP, and 14.2 strikeouts per nine (all AL highs). He is practically a shoe-in for the AL Cy Young award.
Also, he has been lights out in his past five starts against Detroit, going 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA — including only two runs allowed in his past 21.2 innings against them. You’re gonna want to bank on Bieber.
A two-team parlay on the Yankees and Indians at -200 and -263, respectively, would pay out at +107.
Jordan Horrobin is a sports journalist whose MLB, NHL, NFL and NCAA work has appeared in outlets such as The Athletic, MLB.com, the Detroit Free Press and more. He is currently based in Toronto, also working as a contributor for Forbes.com and a freelance editor for Sportsnet.
