MLB Best Bets: Baseball Picks, Predictions, Odds to Consider on DraftKings Sportsbook for October 9

The MLB Playoffs are officially here. The NL takes center stage on Saturday with Game 2 of Braves-Brewers and Dodgers-Giants. Let’s break down some of my favorite wagers to target in these contests on DraftKings Sportsbook.

All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.

Atlanta Braves @ Milwaukee Brewers:

Under 7 runs (+105)

This series is expected to be decided by the pitching staffs. These squads combined for just three runs in Game 1, and we’re likely looking at another pitcher’s duel on Saturday.

The Brewers will send Brandon Woodruff to the mound, who was a Cy Young caliber pitcher this season. He pitched to a 2.56 ERA and 2.96 FIP while racking up 10.59 strikeouts per nine innings. He was even better when pitching at home, and he should be able to keep the Atlanta offense at bay. They finished just 14th in wRC+ vs. right-handers over the second half of the year.

The Braves will turn to Max Fried, and while his numbers aren’t quite as strong as Woodruff’s, he benefits from a superior matchup. The Brewers were offensively challenged all season, and those struggles were magnified against southpaws. They were just 24th in wRC+ vs. left-handers after the All-Star break.

Both of these teams also ranked in the top half of the league in terms of bullpen ERA, so don’t expect much scoring once the starters depart, either.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Francisco Giants:

Dodgers ML (-115)

The Giants were able to jump out to a 1-0 series lead thanks to a dominant performance from Logan Webb. He pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings with zero walks and 10 strikeouts, which put him in some impressive company.

That means the Dodgers will have their backs against the wall on Saturday, but their matchup isn’t quite as daunting. They’re taking on Kevin Gausman, who was basically a replacement-level pitcher following the All-Star break. He pitched to a 4.42 ERA over the second half of the season, and the Dodgers got to him for two runs in just three innings in their last meeting. The Dodgers’ offense is loaded, so they should be able to put some runs on the board.

Julio Urías will get the ball for the Dodgers, and he might be their best pitcher outside of Max Scherzer. He’s pitched to a sparkling 2.04 ERA over the second half of the season, and he’s limited opposing batters to a .242 wOBA. The Giants were a bit more vulnerable against left-handers than right-handers, so I’m expecting Urías to do some damage.

Ultimately, these have been the best two teams in baseball this season, so this series deserves to go five games.

Dodgers to win the series (+125) and World Series (+380)

The Dodgers have had the shortest odds to win the World Series all year, but they’re now underdogs to the Giants after dropping Game 1. That’s not ideal, but it’s certainly not a death blow. They just need to win three of the next four games, which is very doable considering their talent level. They’ll have Urias in Game 2 and (likely) Scherzer in Game 3, so they could very easily have a 2-1 lead heading into Game 4.

This team simply has too much talent to go home in the first round. Cody Bellinger is their No. 8 hitter. No. 8! I know he’s had a down year, but that is utterly ridiculous. Their bullpen is outstanding, they have incredible depth, and there are just no breaks in their lineup. No disrespect to the Giants, but I still fully expect the Dodgers to win this series and eventually hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is mlamarca) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.

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