Best MLB Bets Today: Can Skenes Cool Off the Red Hot Cubs

We have a pair of fantastic bets for you as we head into the season's final stretch. The first is from a matchup between the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets. The other is an NL Central battle as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs square off.

Below, we will share our favorite bet for each game and explain why we love them. We’ll use odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, which offers a welcome bonus of $200 in Bonus Bets + 3 Free Weeks of NFL Sunday Ticket to new bettors who sign up and win their initial wager of $5+.

Best MLB Bets Today: Red Sox vs. Mets (6:10 PM EST)

Mets ML (-130) at FanDuel Sportsbook

After looking like a wild card team this summer, the Red Sox are 5-10 over their last 15 games. We expect them to add yet another loss tonight.

The Sox will have Ketter Crawford (8-12, 4.12 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) starting tonight. The righty has been solid for Boston this season but had a brutal August, going 2-4 with a 6.32 ERA. The team has now lost six of his last eight starts. 

Crawford will have his hands full against the Mets tonight. While the lineup has disappointed, they are still loaded with dangerous hitters, led by Francisco Lindor. The shortstop’s defense and play at the plate are the main reason New York was able to turn their season around, and we see his success continuing tonight.

The Mets will have a red-hot David Peterson (8-1, 2.83 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) starting opposite Crawford. The 28-year-old is having the best season of his career and was nearly perfect in August, going 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA.

Boston’s success has come from their play at the plate this season, ranking in the top ten of the league in batting average and runs scored. However, things have fallen apart over lately, averaging 2.9 runs over their last 15 games. They have been held to just one run in their previous three games.

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Best MLB Bets Today: Pirates vs. Cubs (6:40 PM EST)

Pirates ML (-132) at FanDuel Sportsbook

The Cubs come in as the hotter team, but Justin Steele will miss tonight’s start after experiencing elbow soreness. He will be replaced by Kyle Hendricks (3-10, 6.75 ERA, 1.53 WHIP), giving the Pirates a key advantage on the mound tonight.

The Pirates will have rookie sensation Paul Skenes (8-2, 2.23 ERA, 1.53 WHIP) starting tonight. The 22-year-old cooled off a bit in August but still finished the month going 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA. His best work has come on the road this season, where he is 3-1 with a 1.66 ERA.

When they saw him last week, Chicago did a solid job against Skenes, but they struggled the other two times they saw him. He is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts against the Cubs this season. While their recent success could mean they do some damage tonight, it won’t be enough to cover for their poor pitching.

Hendricks appears to be quickly reaching the end of his career. His numbers this season have been terrible, and he will be facing a foe tonight that has gotten the better of him. Last week, the Pirates tagged Hendricks for six runs on eight hits and three walks over 1 2/3 innings.

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