The Yankees Saved Me on Sunday!
Greg's Weekly Wager Recap 5/12 - 5/18
Coming off my worst week to date, I knew I needed to be more selective with my picks. Days when I bet on three or more games would not be beneficial given the luck I was having. So, as a result, I shortened my cards, went back to the basics, and the results were… not ideal.
MONDAY (0-0, 0.0u)
NO PLAYS
In the first three entries to this series, I am a combined 0-3 on Mondays. When looking at the board, nothing struck me as particularly intriguing, so I decided to forgo placing any wagers to start the week. On a positive note, this is by far the most successful Monday, betting-wise, I’ve had, so that has to be worth something, right?
TUESDAY (0-1, -1.0u)
Reds -1.5 (+105, 1u) LOSS
I really thought I could break the streak of my first bet of the week losing by skipping Monday, but I couldn’t escape my fate. It seems I will always lose the first bet of every week, so take that into consideration when you are tailing my picks on X (GRMbets cheap plug). Now, getting back to my pick, this was doomed from the start. After the game was delayed for a few hours, the Cincinnati bats were totally absent. The White Sox led 1-0 for a while until the Reds were able to tie up the game in the bottom of the 9th. My bet was still somewhat alive, as a multi-run home run in extra innings could have cashed the bet; however, that dream was short-lived. The White Sox put up 4 runs in the top of the 10th to essentially close out the game. The start to the week was not ideal.
Wednesday (0-1, -1.0)
Royals ML (+125, 1u) LOSS
Man, this was a real heartbreaking loss. The Royals jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning and were favored to win on the live odds every inning until the bottom of the 8th. Leading 3-2 in the bottom half of the 8th inning, Houston scored two runs due to a Mauricio Dubon double that scored one and later a Jeremy Pena single that scored Dubon, causing the Astros to take a 4-3 lead. Michael Lorenzen was pitching very well all game, but letting him start the 8th inning was clearly a mistake that Houston was able to capitalize on. Regardless, this was another tough loss that put me in a hole to start the week.
THURSDAY (2-1, +0.62u)
Nationals ML 9 (+185, 1u) LOSS
Reds -1.5 (-105, 1u) WON
Freddie Freeman o1.5 H/R/RBIs (-150, 1u) WON
Not a perfect bounce-back day, but a bounce-back day nonetheless. Betting on the Nationals at +185 was ambitious to say the least, but I was confident in the boys from DC. Unfortunately, the Braves pounced on Nationals’ starter Trevor Williams, scoring 4 unanswered runs in 4.1 innings. Additionally, Braves’ starter AJ Smith-Shawver was incredible as he pitched 6 innings, striking out 6 batters, only surrendering 2 hits and a single unearned run. Washington tried to fight back late in the game, but the deficit was too much, and the Braves cruised to a 5-2 victory on the road. The rest of the day went much better as the Reds demolished the White Sox, and I was redeemed from my bet on Tuesday. The Reds never trailed in this game and easily won 7-1 at home. Similarly to the Reds bet, Freddie Freeman over 1.5 hits, runs, and RBIs was as easy as they come. The Dodgers absolutely crushed the Athletics, scoring 19 runs as the home team. Freeman singled in the first inning and scored later that same inning thanks to a Max Muncy home run, cashing the bet as quickly as possible.
FRIDAY (0-0, 0.0u)
NO PLAYS
Friday was a very exciting day for a die-hard New York sports fan like myself. First, the Yankees took care of the Mets at home to win the first game of their three-game series in the Bronx. At the same time, the Knicks dismantled the Celtics at home to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years! I was far too preoccupied thinking about these games to bet on any old MLB game, so I took the day off betting and just enjoyed the two victories.
SATURDAY (1-0, +0.69)
Rays ML (-145, 1u) WON
It wasn’t a lot, but it was another step in the right direction. I was tempted to bet on the Rays -1.5 for significantly better odds, but I decided to play it safe on the moneyline. The Rays struggled early on, and I feared my words on X (I claimed Sandy Alcantara would not bounce back this game and the Rays would easily win) would come back to bite me. Fortunately, Tampa Bay put together a fantastic 5th inning against Alcantara and took a 4-0 lead. The score remained the same for the rest of the game, and Rays moneyline cashed without an issue.
SUNDAY (1-2, -0.75u)
A’s ML (+125, 1u) LOSS
Padres ML (-140, 1u) LOSS
Yankees ML (-160, 2u) WON
Man, I really thought Sunday was going to be the saving grace of this week. I was in love with that Athletics moneyline, given the price, and was certain that the Padres would not get embarrassed at home again against the Mariners. Unfortunately, the A’s blew a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth to lose 3-2 to the Giants, and San Diego was totally outclassed by Seattle, losing by 5 runs. Sunday wasn’t all bad, however, as the Yankees took care of business against the Mets in the Bronx to not only win the series but also lessen the blow of what was ultimately a horrendous week betting on the MLB for myself.
Again, a few bad beats turned what would have been a solid week into a disastrous one in which I lost 1.44 units. The record was not terrible, sitting at 4-5, but I need to be better moving forward.