It's time to place your bets. Let's talk to the pros. Welcome in everybody to betting pros. It's me Joey P Joe Pizzapia, and we got a great show for you today because a third of the Major League Baseball season is in the books, if you can believe it, already we got two thirds left. But it's an important time to take a pause and kind of take the temperature. Where are we right now in the MLB season, but
more importantly, where are we with our MLB future? So I wanted to bring in one of my absolute favorite people to talk to about wagering, and it's certainly about baseball as well. Yes, his name is also Joe. That doesn't hurt either. You might know him from wager talk from Sirius XM Radio channel two o four, and of course all the stuff he does at Sports Greed because he's on everything, everywhere, all the time. He's the one,
the only Joe Ranaire. Hey, Joe, welcome to the program, my friend, how are you?
Joe?
I love it because it covers the whole room right now. It's fantastic, Joe P. It is a pleasure to be back with you. My friend, you look fantastic, and congratu license on the show.
Man, very nice, look at us still kicking around after all this time a year ago. We were laughing before the show because a year ago at this time, Joe and I were working together during the pandemic and part of a network that was running by the I don't know, by the seat of its pants. It was flying. I guess you could say it was all new to everybody. And here we are a year later, and all of this this technological advancements, doing shows remotely and all these things.
It's like second nature now, and it's just so funny. A difference of year makes man. And I know for you, you know, with your New York Yankees, and I know it's been a tough road here in the month of May. But May's over. We're on to June. In the words of Bill Belichick, we're on the Cincinnati So I won't dive too much. I don't want to hand any sore points with you. But let's start, if we may, with the National League MVP race, because I think this is
a fascinating one. And once again, if you go to bettingpros dot com, you can see the consensus of all the different books where you can get which bet which wager, and what we do here is we give you the consensus number, basically what the average is across the board. So right now Ronacuney is plus two hundred on consensus betting pros. Then you got Fernando Teptis Junior, who may or may not go on the IL with this little bit of a tightness in his side. I tell you what, Joe,
I hate that word, obleique. I don't want anybody to say it to me. Ever as soon as I hear it, I know I'm not gonna see that player for six to eight weeks. Let's hope for the best. But he's plus three hundred. Then you have Jacob deGrom, who just came back from injury at plus thirteen hundred. Noan Arnatto's at thirteen hundred and Wans's at seventeen. WANs is going to heat up. That number is going to probably decrease
for him in terms of odds. But right now, is it a two horse race or can you really start to make a case for de Grom because his number's gone up exponentially after the injury, But he's doing something that nobody else is doing when he takes that mound, Joe, He's going out there. He's throwing one hundred miles an hour, you know, thirty in a row, and it's nuts. And I'm exaggerating, but slightly. So. What's your take on NLMVP so far?
Listen, there's nothing not to like about a Cooder, right
is he twenty two to twenty three years old? The numbers are astonishing, but unfortunately he's on a team that is about as big an underperformer, certainly offensively as the New York Yankees have been in many aspects of it, he too had he was dealing with that injury back and forth, and I'm with you when I hear that word oblique, I'm I'm worried that I'm gonna have seventy sixty five seventy percent of what that player could be and should be, because it's certainly an injury that never
goes away, and the only thing that prevents it or lets it go away is rest, and that's not good for anybody. And then when you've got a guy who swings and his shoulder pops out, that's a different story. But to me, the focus is on de Groam. It's all de Grom. You can't watch Garrett Cole. And we'll talk about the big guns.
Right. So you've got Garrett.
Cole up at the top of everyone's list, and you've got you know, Bueler, You've got some of these frontline top pitchers and watching them on any given Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and you watch the Grom.
You tell me it's just not different, like you think.
It doesn't get any better than like Garret Cole. You got three hundred million dollars, he's our number one. You watch the Grom, watch the mannerisms of his teammates around him, when he takes when he takes him out. What he just did to Arizona and his last start was it was ridiculous. I mean, he struck out five of the first eight guys one hundred miles an hour, one hundred and one, one hundred one's and it's ninety slider.
That's the thing that's crazy to me is that it's so easy looking. You know, you see these guys with the max effort velocity, but not the Gram. It just looks so effortless. And and you know, this is why I love doing these shows. Once a month. We try to like update everybody on this because it's such a fluid thing. To Grom at one point was I've saw in some books somewhere around four to one, five to one this award. He has the injury that it sets
him back a little bit. Now you're some spots again, thirteen to one, you're getting this, And look, I know Akooni has been consistent and maybe that will get rewarded. Tatis overcoming the shoulder, overcoming COVID if he hopefully this injury doesn't keep him off, that's on the shelf very long. But I wonder if we're in root for a thirty thirty thirty season from Tetus where thirty home runs, thirty steals in thirty days on the il, nobody's ever done that.
If he does that, I don't know how you don't give him the award. But I'm kind of with you that de Gram is fascinating and this is obviously the time, right if you think de Gram is back and being da Gram again, thirteen to one seems like the spot to get in, right.
Absolutely, I'm kind of upset that aid and granted ahead of time, because listen, this is the problem with guys.
Like the grom the truly elite of delete right.
We tend to take them for granted, not only as fans, but certainly as better as in many aspects too when we see them, and it's hard to take a step.
Back and just he's different.
Everything about him is different when he's pitching in the game, when he's on the mound, his teammates are different. The team he's playing has that you see it, Joe, They have a certain look in there. I gotta go off, I gotta go and try and to hit this.
You don't get that. It's once in a generation kind.
And because he's on the Mets, and because they never score any runs for him, or at least that's the m O become.
A Mets fan, I can tell you, yeah, you take it for granted.
It's absolute siated well.
And speaking of getting in at the right time, now, I got in on my shares of show atani at six and a half. Oh, that's where I got them at.
Now.
I had an inkling when it was up at twenty before the season, and I gotta tell you, in the American League, even with that, I said, look, I gotta see it a little bit more but then I jumped in and it was before Trout got hurt. And then when Trout got hurt, I knew that number that was gone. You never gonna see that six again in the American League Right now, the consensus number at show you Otanio again before the season started was around the twenties. Now
it's plus one to twenty. Vlad Guerrero Junior, who just look like he's playing out of his mind right now in incredible hot streak. He's at plus two seventy five. Trout's falling back to the pack with the rest of the guys, he's at plus seventeen. To me, this is that two man race. And I pose this question this morning on the Baseball Show on Fantasy Pros, and I'm
curious to hear your answer. Even if Ladd hits thirty something home runs this year and Otani hits thirty something, Otani always has that trump card, which is, oh yeah, and I'm pitching too. By the way, how can anyone compete with that? If Otani can take the ball about every fifth day and throw one hundred and twenty something innings this year, can anybody compete with that?
If I have to go look at film that is basically silent and black and white. To see the last player in Major League Baseball that was both that was hitting ball, pitchings, been playing the field, then you have something very special here. The problem is we know the injury history, right, you know, how healthy can he be? One of the other big questions was were they gonna be were they gonna baby him, you know, how much? Were they gonna use him, Were they gonna be extra
careful with him? What was Madden gonna do with him? So far, they've done a massivel job the guy. I mean, his power numbers are ridiculous home runs, but his pitching too.
When he's on the mound.
When you got a guy in a mount pitching and then they bring in a relief pitcher and they send you to right field, it's like shades of a twelve year old little league again, like all right, great job, Joey, great go play left field? Like what's like, what are
we doing right now? That's what you have. The problem I have with Joe is that, and I think there will continue to be value with him because he plays for the Angels and he's never going to be front page news there being in the same town as the Dodgers.
It's just not gonna happen. So I don't think half.
This country even realizes how special what he's doing is because the Angels and the big markets pay no attention.
So oh, if this was happening in New York or Boston or Chicago, forget it, forget it. Absolutely, it'd be a whole. There would be statues already built to him, two statues, one for the pitcher, one for the hitter. They would be all kinds of different things. But that it is an unreal thing. It's and it's just baseball is hard, you know, I know we played the game. It is hard. He makes it look so easy, and it is insane right now now in terms of the
National League, Cy Young. Look, we all think Jacob Degroma, the fact that it's only minus one sixty seven, I think is actually kind of ludicrous. The other guys out there, Corbyn Burns and Woodriff, Jack Flaherty was at eighteen to one, Woods and Bird Juesday, Burns and Woodroff were in that seven to seven and a half range. I really have a hard time looking for anybody, so I don't really want to waste anybody's time with long shots and stuff
like that. Burns has been terrific, Bower has been good too, but de Gram is just in a different universe the American League. It feels like Garrick Cole right now he is at minus one forty eight, and then you got Shane Bieber at plus four hundred, you got Tyler Glass now it's six fifty, and then you've got Lance Lynn at plus fourteen and Carols Rodonno's at a brilliant season
at plus eighteen. Now, awards are always media driven their narratives, right, That's why the Jotani narrative, especially with Trout going down, is such a good narrative. Is there another narrative to be built besides Garret Cole right now in the American League? Because Glass now in the Rays, it kind of feels like that could be one and six fifty is a
fascinating spot to be in. That's the one that I've kind of got circled right now because he's kind of getting it done and I don't think people are really noticing, but it feels like it's starting to build momentum. What are your thoughts on him? Or is it just again Garrett Coles to lose.
Basically, it's always going to be Garrett Coles to lose because he's a Yankee, so let's be realistic with that.
And again just a cut above.
But the interesting part about glasshow coming into this season, was how is he going to react being the number one? You know, he was behind Snell, so he didn't have as much pressure there. Plus, you play at the Trop It doesn't get any better for pitchers there than the Trop. I mean, I wouldn't want to be a hitter and have to play my games at the Trop in Tampa.
It's a terrible ballpark.
Uh, and certainly not one that's induced him to a whole lot of offense.
So I think he's got that going for him.
But who knew when you're going up against the two and threes, now you've got to go up against the number ones? What we're we going to get from him? And the answer is pretty simple. I mean he's been absolutely phenomenal. Uh Renduonta Carl Carlos Ardon has redone has been unbelievable to me, especially the backstory with this guy, not one what two shoulder you know, surgeries, he had elbow he I mean, this guy was.
Trying and trying and trying and.
Trying to get there, and uh, just what a year and a half ago or so, they were like, we don't know if he's going to be able to come back, we don't know what his career is going to be like. And what we're seeing from him this year is unbelievable. Dare I say a million times better than Giolito what we're seeing, uh from him?
Geos picked it up a little bit. Yeah, Geos came up a little bit recently. A bad stretch there. You had that bad day game in Boston and then that's spiral to another start, and then he had an injury thing and then there was like a rain game. He had like the worst run there. But that's all coming back to earth and it's funny. As great as the Rodn's story has been, he's probably still not gonna win
Comeback Player of the Year because of Trey Mancini. Like that's the thing you want to look for odds on that. I don't know why I even looked at them today, but I can't imagine they're not in the negative. In terms of trade manca He's been brilliant.
I don't go on, but Gostan too. Anybody see that coming from the Giants.
The whole Giants rotation him, Alex Wood, you got a little web striking out ten guys. It's been madness there and good on Gosmin and you know what, bad job on the Orioles, who continue to show you that they have no idea how to develop pitching. For the last decade, it's been crazy. Cabrian Hayes still leads everybody in terms of Rookie of the Year in consensus wagering, which I think is hilarious. Ian Anderson's at plus six hundred, Dylan
Carlson's at plus seven hundred. I kind of like the I mean Ian Anderson, that dude's just basically going out there and just been great every single start for the most part. He's not going to give you seventy eight innings because of where he's at, and I don't know what he's gonna look like come August and September, but right now I think the six to one is actually
one of the more intriguing wagers on this award. Futures kind of sleep and Hayes hasn't played all year, so I don't know, I mean, I know Carlson's a good player, he's in a position player, but it kind of feels like Ian Anderson's to lose. What's your thoughts on this?
Absolutely, I think the kid has got a tremendous and I mean an absolute tremendous future ahead of him. I think he's in the right organization at the right time he's gonna get and I think this is going to be important too as we get a little bit closer after the All Star break, He's gonna get a lot of national exposure to come that time because he's going to be pitching some meaningful games here when you get into August and September. They are going to need him.
But there's nothing not to like. His metrics are fantastic, the numbers are really good. Had a little bit of a rough outing last time out, but you know, he is a kid that if they can get it together, certainly offensively all over there, he is going to He's going to be up there because really, who else.
And you don't really see a lot of National League rookies coming through that pipeline this year, whereas in the American League when you look over there right now, you're still waiting on Wander Franco, who's a ten to one. Jared Tllna came up, He's ten to one. Randy rose Arena is the clear favorite plus three hundred three fifty. But we just had Alec Minoa come up last week have his debut and Yankee Stadium. We'll see how he makes his second start in the third start and what not,
how that goes. That boy's a hass.
That you know what, I think I Jet signed him. I'm not sure.
I think he might be the right guard for the Jets in the offseason. It's very possible. I don't know. But what I do know is I think the American League is a little bit more fluid right now. The National League. Guy like Ian Anderson rose Arein has been there from day one. I can understand him being the favorite. But even so, that plus three fifty, that's a pretty good number on a Rose Arena if you don't want to wait for Wonder Franco and Fidal Boujean and those
guys who come up for the raise. But do you think it's worth waiting on or do you speculate now in those rays hoping to hit on a Wonder Franco in the second half just coming up and being gazzling.
It's where we're gonna find out.
You bring up a good point there, though I would tend to jump on at because of the nature of that award too, and I don't. To me, the fact that we're even talking about two or three guys means there's really no clear cut, you know, heads and tails above anything else here.
But I do think we're just too much into the season.
I do think Franco and others have a chance to make a really big push for this award. Incluing Anderson there, I think there's gonna be an opportunity to get to get a little votes as the season moves on. But I'm looking forward tell you the truth, it's the next generation. I'm looking forward to seeing even at the end of your forget the award, I can't wait to see who's left standing among these among.
These players at the end, I think it's gonna be a lot of fun.
Well, it's gonna be a lot of fun that American League eest too, because we've got to raise right now, Boom plus one fifty, the Yankees plus one sixty. This is to win the division and the Red Sox sitting all the way back at plus three eighty five, which is and I understand why they're not getting respect, And I think it's because you look at that rotation, you worry, is it a paper tiger. The bullpen's been brilliant over
the last couple of weeks. The offense is there. The bottom of the lineup is still a little troubling, but the main guys have carried them. When you have JD and Raphael Devers and Xander Bogarts being great, you can get by. Where do you want to put your money here?
If at all? Because this is a tight race, and it seems like the Rays the last couple of years have kind of had the Yankees' number and they're able to You know, I said last year, and I know we did a lot of shows together, but I said going into last year that season was built for the Rays because you knew nobody was gonna be able to make big trays and bring in big salaries, and the
Yankees weren't going to do that. In the Red Sox were building, so the Rays at a un position to really be a playoff team go to the World Series potentially, And I thought that this was just a perfect setup. Now this year again, they're not gonna be able to do that. But they can bring up these kids, and they can bring up these guys. The Yankees have had some injuries here. Stan's been hurt. We know Luke Voight was back and then back on the il. Corey Klueber's
gonna miss some time tie on. We don't know how long he's gonna last. There's some issues here with the Yankees. Is it a good wager right now to get in on the rais or do you think the Red Sox are actually more fun considering you're getting the better odds there?
So I believe they're either third or fourth best in the America League and run differential they were at plus forty four, forty five somewhere along those lines heading into the week, and that they can flat out they can flat out ball.
Now. The starting pitching is what everyone is looking.
And saying, Oh, I'll slow down, right, You got and aren't got crushed a little bit here Rodriguez.
But the bullpen. Look what that bullpen has done.
Matt Barnes with twelve saves, Garrett went, I mean, I don't know anybody saw the bullpen as possibly one of the strengths of the Red Sox, the starting pitching. I think it's hit or miss, obviously, but with those bats, and the problem I have with Tampa is they're two different teams home and away. The way they win games on the road is not the way they win games
at home. So I think from a consistency standpoint, and even though their record right now in the road has been absolutely phenomenal, I still think a dark horse here is the Red Sox. I don't want to count out Toronto just yet, but I think the Red Sox will as long as they can grind away from the starting pitching what they've been getting from that bullpen, and that lineup as good as anybody. I'll put them up against anybody, including the Astros this week.
Well, the interesting thing is the Blue Jays are sitting at plus six hundred, so if you really want to take the long shot there, Robby Ray has been brilliant. All of a sudden, Robby Ray doesn't walk anybody. I don't know what's happened there. Obviously, it's some mechanical fix, whatever it's.
I've been a pitching coach.
I don't know.
Because that guy's a he's a pitching whisper whatever it is. When he's done to Robbie Ray is unbelievable.
And Hunjin Rio has been good since he came over there too. I mean he was good with the Dodgers. Everybody wanted to freak out when he went to the American League, and he's been very good. The trick is, what do you get after those two guys? Now? Once again, if Alec Manoa could be that guy, I don't know if he can. But you add in a real legit third picture to that rotation, you get George Springer back healthy.
You want to speculate on the Blue Jays, this is the time because this number can only shrink Joe that in as far as this is going to be a really tight race here, and if you like the J's and you believe in what they can do, yeah, and look, they're playing in Dneed and they're playing in Buffalo, they have no home. It's a fascinating story the central I think we all kind of feel like it's the White Sox to lose. So I'm gonna waste people's time there
with that. But I want to talk about the Astros and A's because they are deadlocked here minus one eighteen for the Astros, minus one zher six on the A's. Is this even a smart because I look at this and I think all the pitching that the Astros have shown you this year, even despite injuries, and now they got fran ber Valadez back, I think this is the Astros division to lose. Personally, I don't even as much as I think the A's are always there and the
always show up. At the same time, I think you have to acknowledge the Astros still have a very good core offensively, and in terms of the pitching rotation, they have more depth than a lot of other teams. They send Javier to the bullpen now for a little while. That means he's gonna be fresh in the second half if they need to call on him. So what's your thoughts on the West in the American League.
It's interesting because Houston, I trust Auckland's bullpen more than I trust Houston's bullpen. I think we can probably say at this particular point, looking at Pettitt and Dykeman and Guerer and what these guys have done for Aalkland, I like their book didn't start off great against Houston, by the way, but wouldn't that be a little foreshadowing to what we're going to anticipate here at the end of the end of the season, where these two are going
to be doing that the starting pitching. All right, I give the nod obviously to Houston. I think both teams they hit the contact. These aren't teams that are going to These guys aren't going to walk a lot. These guys are going to put the ball in play, which seems to be what a lot of pitchers are referring to do this year, is pitch to contact because they don't seem too worried about barrels hitting the balls here these days for some reason.
There, Joe, it's interesting.
So instead of strikeout, home run, or walk, pitchers seem to be saying, all right, go ahead, put the ball in play here, and let's see what happens.
Because of the shift. You put the ball in play. I got twelve guys in one spot where you hit, don't.
Have to strike out, don't have to strike down.
Just got to get you to swing at my pitch, which both of these teams do. I think huge run potential from both. I would give the nod to the A's right now. Just because I bass it. I mean, you look at the names here, what Cole, Irvin, Bassett, Maneya. You go through it, You're like they're solid. Nothing's gonna wow, you know. But I think both are very comparable. Offensively, I do like Oakland a. I like that bullpen a
little bit more for Oakland. And what an interesting ballpark is still playing it.
Oh, interesting is a nice word for Surry. I've been there. I've seen a baseball game in Oakland is the absolute worst. It is the biggest dump. And I used to go to games all the time in the old VET, which was also an epic dump. Not even close. This is the worst baseball plays ever. And I hope they go play somewhere else someday in a better spot. Let's talk about some National League Division winners. The Central just got real interesting with that Jack Flaherty injury because he is
going to miss some time. After Flaherty and that rotation, I got concerns. They're at plus one thirty. The Brewers, who I was all in on, Oh my god, the beginning of the year, I wanted nothing but Brewers all along. Then the yellis back injury creeps up, and I'm jumping ship, and I said, well, I can't do it anymore. I'm out there plus one thirty. The Cubs had an epic month of May, somehow worked themselves into relevancy. They are a plus four hundred. I gotta say the Flawherty injury
is thrown a wrinkle here of epic proportions. And if Saint Louis doesn't make a move for a Means or Matthew Boyd or somebody like that, they're in a little bit of trouble here right now, because I don't know how much they can sustain with the guys they've got in that rotation. But the Brewers have a three that nobody else can match outside of probably the Dodgers in the National League, or maybe the Padres too on if every Blake'snell can find himself again. But the Brewers have
something special here with these three arms. What do you want to do here? Is this a stay away? Do you have a favorite here in the central? What does this look like to you?
I think the Cardinals, and I think we talked about this ahead of time. I think the Cardinals are overrated to begin with. I think their offenses overrated. There was a lot of questions about Aaronatto when he came into the season ride you know, the whole curse of you know, is he got that Colorado Rocky swing kind of thing where it works great in Colorado. But when he's out there he has been good. But I don't trust Martinez, I mean outside you mentioned Flaherty, who was also and
I hate to break this Cardinals fans. I mean I had faded him against Bauer there because he's due for some regression here.
It was gonna come, like you, too many hard hit.
Too many hard hits, too many barrels on the ball, started to walk more guys than what we would like to see for a guy that's going to give up.
He's a fly ball pitcher who's going to give up home runs. So it was coming.
I think they did an amazing job of winning and scoring runs for him when he did pitch thus far, but I think that was coming. And then after that, yeah, what eighty five year old what Wayne Wright like you got who can only pitch at home? You better only schedule Wayne Wright and Bush because he can't pitch any place else. So to me, you mentioned it only the big three that I I will refer to and I know you're talking about Woodruff and you're talking about Peralter
and of course uh Barns. But talk to me about suitor Devin Williams and hater. You give me a lead when I get into the sixth Enning. Guys, it's over, it is over. And yes, I think the Adams trade with Tampa a couple of weeks ago fantastic for them, too.
Well, they need offense. They know what they did not do enough this offseason to surround and again, Trey Mancini was the guy SA at the beginning of the year, and that should be your number one target. As soon as he shows he's how to go out there, overpay for him. You know, he can play first base, he can play the outfield. You can move him around. If Yellwich isn't good, you all of a sudden surround Yellows. There was a little bit more protection. I mean, what
more do you want this guy to do. It's a very difficult spot there. I don't understand how. I mean. Vegas is very smart, smarter than me, obviously, That's why they build all those hotels. Here's my question to you. The Mets have been favorites since the get go for the most part. They've had the worst string of luck. They've even had the Grom miss time. Noah Cindergard has been shut down, Carrasco hasn't thrown a pitch this year, and there's still a consensus minus two twenty five. Hin
is two twenty five? How in the hell is that possible to win the East? The Braves are plus two eighty. I know they lost Ozuna, right and I get it, Like the Mets are built well, they have depth, and this is the first time a Mets team has had depth. You've seen Kevin Polar, Jonathan Vr, You've seen all these guys step up into this void and these are real major league players for a chance and for a change, and that's something the Mets have not done a good
job with historically on their bench. Of having they have that. It's showing they're still winning games despite that. But should they be these kind of prohibitive favorites right now? I mean, I'm a Mets fan. Maybe I'm just self loathing, but to me plus two eighty on Atlanta, how do you not kind of jump in on that? I just don't get it. Do you see the Mets winning this division?
I absolutely do okay, and I'll tell you why. And I don't think there's crazy. I think it's more an indictment on what the market thinks of the Phillies, the Marlins, the Nationals, like go down the list here.
Well, I think we can forget the natsaff Stephen Strasbourg last night. I think we can finally say, you know what, I think that's two hundred million dollars that was not well spent. That's I think we can move onward on that.
Yes, And I think a lot of met fans in you Knowice, how much money do you spend for Lindor between mccam lindor. But to me, the talent is there offensively and for them going into this week, I think going into Monday night in the Memorial Day on a thirty first that end the month of May.
You're talking about a Mets team with all that injuries and everyone's for the last couple of weeks.
Who to hell is this play? How are they going to score a run? They're five games over five hundred.
It's crazy.
It's not so if they're.
Doing it, if they can sustain that when all the chips are against them and they're losing guys.
Now they got Alonso back. What's he do?
First game back? He's mashing the ball all over the place. Solidified the middle of that order. I still like the bullpen obviously, I you know, the starting pitching, the two guys at the top there between Stroman. Anybody see Walker having the kind of year He's wow.
That's the guy. And I love that sign. I thought that was low key one of the best signings of the offseason. He was very good last year for Toronto. Nobody seen the Karen notice. And this was a player people forget. It was a very highly thought of prospect back in the Seattle days going it was him and Danny holtzon. Remember they were gonna change the Seattle rotation. And here we go, all these years later, like ten years now, there's Taiwan Walker finally putting it together. All right.
Before we get to A and NL winners in World Series, I want to ask you about the West because the Dodgers are still prohibitive favorites minus two twenty. The Padres consent is numbers plus one seventy five. You know, I know the Padres like this volatile stop because you know, Tatisa is so good and Machado's so great, But then they've had some guys who had been struggling. Tommy fam just started to hit. Blake Snell's got a five and a half era, but you, Darbish and Joe Musgrove have
been great. It has been all over the place. You never know what you're gonna get from Paddock. Is it safe to say that it's still the Dodgers, They're still the favorites, and it's probably still not the best way to make money, or do you see the padres is maybe finding a way to somehow put all these pieces together and actually make a run here as we get to the last two thirds of the.
Season, I think I think all the money, if you were gonna vetit a West, would be fading the Dodgers, who I think, have we knew were they're gonna win one hundred and eight games? One hundred and seven here and say, I mean, what was the the preseason win tight or something?
What it was?
It was absurd?
Five eight?
Is something crazy like that?
It's not going to happen. They've had to deal with some injuries. They just get Mookie Betts back. Obviously, that lineup and the names in it are starting to be more of familiar. But they certainly don't have that same kind of feel that they did last year, which I think is acceptable because now that they've won it, they've been there and done that, they understand it is a marathon,
it's not a sprint. The interesting teams there, of course, I don't think anybody saw the Giants, uh and the top end of that rotation doing what they still don't like the bullpen all that much. But you know, between Crawford Longoria and these guys that all of a sudden are you know, they're doing some pretty special things right now, getting enough run support the ballpark that they play in.
But it's the Padres to lose as far as I'm concerned. Here, Listen, SNeW Granted, you're gonna get three innings, the best three innings with all these six walks out of him, ever, it's gonna be fantastic.
Well, you know, it's funny because you look at the second you know, and this is where the fantasy nerd me comes out a little bit, because you look at some of the deeper numbers and you say, well, the FIP is much better than the era. That's gonna start to marginalize a little bit. He's never been a guy who's gonna you know, you know, throw complete games. That's not his deal. But yep, I'm with you. I think the Padres are dangerous and I think you know it's
it's chasing. Chasing makes you dangerous when you're the team that's chasing, when you're being chased, when you're at the top of the mountain. It takes a lot, you know, those teams that are great perennially, it is tough, man, because everybody's gunning for you, and the Padres are gunning for him. And I think the Padres will be aggressive and get you.
You to add pieces, how many people even knew okay they Machatta wasn't playing for the last month, like most people don't even realize.
He wasn't even in the lineup.
And now to tease, obviously hopefully he'll be able to get back. But now you've got Machado back on that line up, there are dangerous.
They will mark they are good luck and what gets back.
Way to get back with that, let's let's get to the American League and National League winners here right now, the American League favorite is the Chicago White sow as they should be. The look this, They've got the rotation, they've got the offense. At some point, theoretically they're gonna
get a Layamnez and Louis Robert back for the playoffs. Theoretically, right now, they have the bullpen, they have all the pieces, and they got a little swagger, you know, Tim Anderson, those guys, they've got a little bit of that swag, and I think that is great. Mercedes has been terrific for them, but Bray you is, you know, coming off an MVP caliber season. I think Tony Larus is the only thing that could be their undoing. I know that sounds crazy, Like I love this plus two seventy five.
The Yankees are a plus three ninety, the Ras are at plus four fifty. The Astros are a plus seven to fifty. There's only two wagers I like, and it's the Astros at seven fifty, which everyone's gonna hate because there's that negative energy about them that people don't want to see them. I don't care if you want to see them or not. Pitching's going to win out and they've got pitching, and they've got depth, and they've got a chip on their shoulder. Also, which is kind of fun.
So for me, it's the Astros and it's the White Sox. Do you see anybody else in this mix where you would want to put money on at this stage in the season, even though it's very early.
So it's interesting because we all know in the marketplace, right, two teams that are always going to be overinflated in
the market Yankees and the dollarss right always. So the fact that we can get the Yankees of what plus four plus four hundred plus three ninety somewhere in that Ball of Fame if you are of the mind that Yankees hermand getting back into it, get back looking better and better at each outing right at the top with Garrett Cole, the bullpen just flat out bawling, just exactly what you thought.
If you believe the.
Pitching is going to maintain and the bats are gonna come around, then at plus four hundred plus, you're gonna get four to one.
I'll take the Yankees.
I'll take the Yankees now, I would have never taken them prior to season, But I think much like an in game, live betting type of situation where it's for the Yankees exactly, and I.
Think the bats are gonna come around.
They're gonna start mashing and destroying people, and then that bullpen is gonna go to work where they're gonna win them a lot of games late as the season moves on, and then we're all gonna sit here in a couple of months be like, how did we not choose the Yankees at four to one.
I look, I think this is the time if you like the Yankee Zach Britain making his rehab start just fifteen minutes from my house at Somerset for the double A Yankees. Can't believe they're double A Yankees. Now crazy fifteen minutes for my house. All right, let's go to the other side. You mentioned about the premium pay for the Dodgers plus one seventy on them. The Padres are a plus three to fifty, the Mets at plus four fifty. The Braves are not a good playoff team because they
don't play well in short series. They don't match up very well. But if the Mets could get right with Carrasco, Walker, Stroman de Gram at four fifty, to me, that's the one where again I still don't like them to win
the division. Somehow, I feel like again maybe I'm just torture, but it feels like at plus four to fifty, it's kind of like that other equivalent where you look at it and go, you know, in a short series, this is a team that when they do get healthy, they can create runs, whereas some teams like the Yankees, they have to hit the home runs. Lindor can start to be Lindor, and that's starting to happen a little bit.
They're a very different team, and I think Jonathan vr is gonna play a lot more for this team, even when JD. Davis comes back. So what are your thoughts here? Do you go for the Padres at three fifty, the Mets at four fifty, or the favorite, the Dodgers, or maybe somebody else.
I don't think you are going to be able to get the Padres any better than what you can get them right now if you did not bet them preseason. Right if you are the Blade of Dodgers, I think the team that another one of these plus three fifty plus three sixty somewhere in that ballpark pitching the top of the top of the rotation.
There, I love you, Darbyship top there. I love the bats.
I think they're gonna be able to outscore anybody, even when they're not.
Getting necessarily the best pitching.
I think they're going to beat the Dodgers out in the West, and I think as the season progresses that number is only going to get closer and closer to even money. So I think having the Padres at plus three to fifty right now, them and the Yankees, yeah, preseason, you'd.
Have laughed me and said, yeah, yeah, okay.
Well I also wouldn't have been getting that price at preseason, So I think now's the time for both.
All right, well, now's the time to go follow Joe Vernierrio on Twitter at Joe Ranieri. You can go check him out at wager Talk and of course on Sports Grid all the time, all over that network, as he should be because he knows what he's doing, and he's fun and he's good people. He's the pride of Florida. Joe. I can't thank you enough. It's always fun. Hopefully we'll get you back on against Sutok's more baseball, and then football is right around the corner too. We'll get you
around for that, my friend. Thanks for the time.
We appreciate it, Jojoe, I appreciate it. Best of law. Cash and tickets.
There you go, cash your way. That'll do it for us. But the story of the game goes on for one Joe. This is the other Joe. We'll see you next time.
Kids,