MLB Picks & Best Bets (Sep. 25): Rays’ Morton, Yankees’ Happ Tune Up For Postseason
- The New York Yankees are -200 favorites over the Miami Marlins behind the pitching of JA Happ, who’s posted a 1.93 ERA over his past six starts
- Charlie Morton and the Tampa Bay Rays are the -182 chalk against the Philadelphia Phillies
- Check out the early odds and picks for MLB’s Friday slate (Sept. 25th)
Two months ago, JA Happ was being counted out of the pitching picture for the New York Yankees. As the postseason fast approaches, Happ is proving to be a pitcher the Yanks figure to be counting on in the playoffs.
The Tampa Bay Rays always know they can rely on Charlie Morton to deliver the goods.
These two hurlers take the mound Friday in their final tuneup before baseball’s second season gets underway, and both look to be solid plays at home.
Happ and the Bronx Bombers are -200 favorites over Miami in the Marlins vs Yankees odds. Tampa Bay and Morton are the -182 chalk against Philadelphia in the Phillies vs Rays odds.
NB: The table below displays all Sep. 25th games open for betting as of 10:00 pm ET, Sep. 24th. It may not contain all games scheduled for Sep. 25th.
MLB Sept. 25 Odds
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Mets (R. Porcello) | +138 | +1.5 (-152) | O 8.5 (-118) | 6:05 pm |
| Washington Nationals (M. Scherzer) | -159 | -1.5 (+128) | U 8.5 (-103) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Philadelphia Phillies (V. Velasquez) | +155 | +1.5 (-136) | O 8.5 (-120) | 6:40 pm |
| Tampa Bay Rays (C. Morton) | -182 | -1.5 (+114) | U 8.5 (-103) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Miami Marlins (S. Alcantara) | +170 | +1.5 (-120) | O 9.5 (+102) | 7:05 pm |
| New York Yankees (JA Happ) | -200 | -1.5 (+102) | U 9.5 (-124) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Boston Red Sox (C. Mazza) | +145 | +1.5 (-136) | O 10 (-110) | 7:10 pm |
| Atlanta Braves (K. Wright) | -175 | -1.5 (+114) | U 10 (-110) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (M. Keller) | +230 | +1.5 (+102) | O 7.5 (-108) | 7:10 pm |
| Cleveland Indians (C. Carrasco) | -275 | -1.5 (-121) | U 7.5 (-113) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Detroit Tigers (S. Turnbull) | +145 | +1.5 (-143) | O 8.5 (-106) | 8:05 pm |
| Kansas City Royals (B. Keller) | -175 | -1.5 (+120) | U 8.5 (-115) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Houston Astros (J. Urquidy) | -177 | -1.5 (-107) | O 8.5 (-104) | 8:05 pm |
| Texas Rangers (K. Cody) | +150 | +1.5 (-112) | U 8.5 (-118) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Chicago Cubs (Y. Darvish) | -155 | -1.5 (+106) | O 8.5 (-103) | 8:10 pm |
| Chicago White Sox (D. Cease) | +130 | +1.5 (-125) | U 8.5 (-120) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Cincinnati Reds (T. Mahle) | +138 | +1.5 (-152) | O 8.5 (-107) | 8:10 pm |
| Minnesota Twins (J. Berrios) | -162 | -1.5 (+128) | U 8.5 (-114) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Los Angeles Angels (A. Heaney) | +200 | +1.5 (-108) | O 8.5 (-104) | 9:40 pm |
| Los Angeles Dodgers (C. Kershaw) | -240 | -1.5 (-110) | U 8.5 (-118) | |
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total | Game Time (Eastern) |
| Seattle Mariners (Y. Kikuchi) | +185 | +1.5 (-115) | O 8.5 (-105) | 9:40 pm |
| Oakland Athletics (C. Bassitt) | -225 | -1.5 (-104) | U 8.5 (-117) |
Odds as of Sept. 24 at DraftKings.
Pick 1: Yankees Moneyline (-200) vs Marlins
Reasoning: JA Happ is one of the hottest pitchers in MLB.
Over the course of his last seven starts, Happ has lowered his ERA from 10.29 to 3.25. In his last start, an 8-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox, Happ scattered four hits over eight innings. He struck nine and didn’t walk a batter.
Five weeks ago, JA Happ made his 1st start in 11 days. He had a 10 ERA and wasn’t thrilled about being skipped. Since then, Happ has ERA under 2, he’s mixing 4-seam/2-seam effectively and he looks like he could be major playoff factor. In a short time, Happ changed the narrative
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) September 20, 2020
The 37-year-old lefty is 21-10 for the Yankees since he was acquired from Toronto in a 2018 trade. Happ is 3-2 with a 3.97 ERA in 10 career appearances against the Marlins, seven of them starts.
Pick 2: Rays Moneyline (-182) vs Phillies
Reasoning: Charlie Morton hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his last seven starts.
Morton has a 3.86 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 16.1 innings in four starts since returning from the IL. He threw a season-high 94 pitches in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles.
Charlie Morton, our Roberto Clemente Award nominee.
Have you voted for him yet?https://t.co/Z0fOSfY6lo https://t.co/XbuDa2nUfx
— Rays Community (@RaysCommunity) September 24, 2020
The Phillies could be without outfielder Bryce Harper (back), catcher JP Realmuto (hip) and first baseman Rhys Hoskins (elbow) for this game.
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.
