There are some interesting young pitchers on the mound in Major League Baseball on Tuesday night, including Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes.
Skenes is making his fourth start against the Chicago Cubs this season and his 18th overall. I placed a bet on him and another young pitcher on Tuesday.
Plus, there’s a batter in the West who’s in a favorable situation, facing a young starter who’s making his first Major League appearance since June 1.
Let’s take a look at the best special bets for Tuesday night’s games.
Opportunities about DraftKings Sportsbook.
Jeffrey Springs UNDER 5.5 strikeouts (-120)
Tampa Bay Rays starter Jeffrey Springs has made only a few appearances in the starting lineup this season since returning from a serious arm injury, but has been quite effective, posting a 3.67 ERA in six starts.
Springs has managed 5.5 strikeouts in half of those games, but he faces a tough matchup on Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins, who average just over eight Ks per game and rank eighth in the MLB in OPS against left-handed pitchers.
The main reason I don’t rate Springs as highly here is the fact that he hasn’t thrown more than 87 pitches and five innings or less in any game this season.
With the Rays having no chance of making the playoffs, I can’t imagine them risking the left-hander’s health by using him too much in the final month of the regular season.
Choose the UNDER for Springs on Tuesday against the surging Twins.
Mookie Betts OVER 1.5 total bases (-120)
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts has a great match against Los Angeles left-hander Reid Detmers on Tuesday.
Before being sent to the minor leagues on June 1, Detmers had a 6.14 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in 12 starts. While he might be better after some time in the minor leagues, I still think Betts – who has been playing well – can get to the youngster.
Betts has had a hit in eight of his last nine games and has carried multiple bases in five of those games.
Don’t be surprised if Betts has a big game against Detmers tonight.
Paul Skenes OVER 6.5 strikeouts (-130)
It’s hard not to like Paul Skenes this season, and I expect him to record multiple strikeouts on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs.
In three starts against the Cubs, Skenes has recorded seven, eleven and six strikeouts in four, six and five innings, respectively.
While the Pirates may limit his innings, Skenes is too good for me to completely ignore. He’s collected seven or more punchouts in two of his last five starts and has six Ks in two others.
He’s played against the Cubs a lot, but Chicago also has an average of 8.53 Ks per game in 2024. Try to get Skenes off that prop on Tuesday.
The odds are updated regularly and are subject to change.
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