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There aren’t many surefire situational betting spots in Major League Baseball.
There are plenty of situational betting spots in the NFL and FBS, including letdown spots, look-ahead spots, sandwich spots, facing a team off a bye, coming off your bye, etc.
Every day and week in MLB is so consistent and monotonous, and playing three- or four-game sets with opponents softens the idea of “spots” when betting MLB.
However, I do zero in on one specific letdown spot — I like to fade teams the day after playing on “Sunday Night Baseball.”
Mets vs. Pirates prediction
(7:10 p.m. ET., SNY)
Only two teams per week play on ESPN’s nationally televised weekly event, and the game almost always comes at the end of a series. These teams aren’t used to playing a “getaway” game late on a weekend night.
The Mets played on “Sunday Night Baseball” last night and have Carlos Carrasco on the mound Monday — Cookie has a 6.42 ERA and a 6.54 xERA.
Combine that with the Mets’ abject post-deadline roster — specifically, a horrendous bullpen and a horrendous lineup — and the Mets are an auto-fade against the Pirates on Monday.
The Pirates aren’t a great team, but they have pop in the lineup (Jack Suwinski, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds) and two excellent high-leverage relievers (David Bednar, Colin Holderman), already making them better than the Mets.
Buck Showalter signals for a new pitcher. Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesBetting on Baseball?
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Rookie Quinn Priester gets the start for Pittsburgh. He has struggled to acclimate to MLB-level hitters, but he’s been unlucky in limited appearances and offers more upside than Carrasco.
There’s some to love about Pittsburgh and a lot to hate about the Mets on Monday.
THE PLAY: Pirates ML (+118, FanDuel)
