MLB playoff bets: Take a swing at this +1411 SGP Plus on ALCS and NLCS

If you tailed us on Wednesday's edition of Bark Bets, you know we were one Cristian Javier strikeout away from cashing our +714 Same Game Parlay on Game 3 of the ALCS. One strikeout! That one stings, but that's gambling for ya.

Since we were so close to cashing a juicy ticket on Wednesday, let's run it back on Thursday with both the NLCS and ALCS in action. 

Same Game Parlay Plus for the NLCS and ALCS

Leg 1: Phillies to lead after five innings

Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola get all the praise on this Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff, and for good reason, but Ranger Suarez has been just as impressive in his postseason career. The left-hander has a 1.16 ERA in seven playoff appearances, and he gave up just one earned run to the Atlanta Braves in 8.2 innings pitched in the NLDS. If Suarez can put up a similar performance against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Phillies should be able to touch rookie Brandon Pfaadt for a few early runs and cash this leg. 

Leg 2: Geraldo Perdomo to record a hit

Perdomo has the lowest odds of any batter in the game to record one hit, which is a surprise considering he has three hits off Suarez in six at-bats against the lefty. The shortstop has put together some good ABs in this series and cracked a home run in Game 1, and he should be able to get one base knock against Suarez. 

Leg 3: Rangers-Astros under 9.5 runs

Game 3 of the ALCS finished with 13 total runs, but a lot of that had to do with Max Scherzer pitching for the first time in over a month. Scherzer wasn't sharp in four innings of work, and that opened the door for the Rangers' below-average bullpen to pitch five innings and give up four runs. Houston's elite bullpen uncharacteristically gave up three runs in 3.1 innings, so we're not expecting that to happen again.

Leg 4: Jose Altuve to record 2+ total bases

Altuve went hitless in three straight games leading up to Game 3, but he got his groove back with two hits, a home run and no strikeouts in five at-bats. Now he gets to face Andrew Heaney, against whom Altuve is batting .324 with three doubles and two homers. 

Put it all together, and we've got ourselves a +1411 SGP+ on FanDuel. Let's cash!

In the news ...

Las Vegas Aces win second straight WNBA title — For the second year in a row, the Aces are the last team standing in the WNBA. Las Vegas defeated the New York Liberty, 70-69, in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals to become the first team to win back-to-back championships since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002. With two Aces starters out with injuries, A'Ja Wilson picked up the slack with a game-high 24 points and 16 rebounds. Las Vegas was a massive +120 favorite to win it all in 2023. 

Astros win crucial Game 3, push ALCS to 2-1 — Game 3 of the ALCS wasn't a must-win for the Astros by the literal definition, but they simply couldn't afford to fall down 3-0 in the series. Luckily for Houston, its bats woke up as the reigning champions took down the Texas Rangers, 8-5, on the road. Jose Altuve led the charge with a solo home run, while Yordan Alvarez and Martin Maldonado each chipped in two RBIs. If you believe the Astros have a comeback in them, they're now +185 to win the series.

Chiefs trade for Mecole Hardman; Eagles sign Julio Jones — Veteran wide receivers dominated the NFL headlines on Wednesday afternoon, as the New York Jets traded Hardman back to the Chiefs for a late-round pick swap, and the Eagles signed Jones to a one-year deal after placing Quez Watkins on injured reserve. Hardman will likely make more of an impact than the 34-year-old Jones, but when the new Eagles WR was asked how much he has left in the tank, he smiled and said, "Watch and find out." The Chiefs are +500 to win the Super Bowl, while the Eagles are right behind them at +800.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Jack Dougherty