We took a couple of weeks off, but we’re back to finish the second half of the season strong. For the first play, we’re heading to the East Coast to find Ryan O’Hearn of the Baltimore Orioles against the Cleveland Guardians. For our second play, we’re heading west to find Brandon Woodruff of the Milwaukee Brewers in their game with the Seattle Mariners.
It’s been a bit, and we got cooked hard our last time out. In the Mickey Moniak world, the Colorado Rockies’ entire lineup struggled all game. They totaled just five hits, and three of those came in the ninth inning while trailing by 10. In the Michael Busch world, the Chicago Cubs weren’t much better as they totaled just six hits, but they scored only one run on a solo home run by Justin Turner as Michael Busch went 1-for-4 on the day.
Best Bets Record to Date
- 2025 year record: 31-51-5 (-8.09 units)
Find Gage Bridgford's Best Bets betting record here.
MLB Best Bets Today
- Ryan O’Hearn O1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-105) - 1 Unit Caesar’s
- Brandon Woodruff O6.5 Strikeouts (+130) - 1 Unit FanDuel
Ryan O’Hearn O1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-105) Caesar’s
We targeted O’Hearn back in June, and he came through for us. Now, he’s got the opportunity to give us some more green. He’s been a little slow out of the break as he’s just 2-for-11, but he’s hit this line in back-to-back games entering tonight. Additionally, the MLB trade deadline is 10 days away, and O’Hearn is a prime trade candidate for teams in need of a left-handed bat. He’s batting .296 against right-handed pitchers this season, and all 12 of his homers have come off of them as well. Now, he gets a matchup he’s had great success against in the past.
The Guardians are sending right-hander Tanner Bibee to the bump to start today’s contest. In six plate appearances against Bibee, O’Hearn is 3-for-6 with a home run, and Gunnar Henderson, who bats just in front of O’Hearn, is also 3-for-6 with two doubles and a home run. This season, Bibee has struggled against lefties. They’re batting .262 with a .791 OPS while righties are batting .235 with a .667 OPS. Bibee has also been getting knocked around as of late. Over his last four starts, he’s allowed 14 runs on 19 hits while giving up just two home runs. I like O’Hearn to have a great night.
Brandon Woodruff O6.5 Strikeouts (+130) FanDuel
We’re taking a stab here at a player who has been on a bit of a hot streak since he returned. Woodruff has started just two games this season, but he’s struck out 18 batters in just 10.1 innings of work. Additionally, the two teams he pitched against were the Washington Nationals, who are 4th and 10th in fewest strikeouts per game. I would also expect Woodruff to have a longer leash tonight. He only threw 70 and 81 pitches in his first two starts, and I think he could start getting up around 90 or so tonight.
On the other side, Woodruff will be facing off with the Mariners. In his history against them, Woodruff has a 35.5 percent K rate. While his previous two matchups were top 10 teams, the Mariners have been one of the worst teams this season at striking out. They’re 27th in strikeouts per game, and they’re 10th in strikeout rate against RHP. Out of the All-Star Break, they’ve been getting diced up with their 10.33 strikeouts per game being the second-most per game among all teams.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.