This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
Previous article: 1-4, -6.11 RW Bucks
Season: 88-96-7, -17.23 RW Bucks
The postseason gives us a chance for a bit of a reset with what often projects as a narrower range of outcomes for certain wagers, considering the quality of pitching really sharpens up for the most part. I'll take my first shot with a couple of bets involving Wednesday's NL Wild Card showdown.
St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers, 8:10 pm ET
Starting Pitchers: Adam Wainwright vs. Max Scherzer
The Pick: Cardinals Under 1.5 runs – first 5 innings (-135 on DraftKings Sportsbook) for 1 RW Buck
Secondary Pick: Wainwright Under 4.5 strikeouts thrown (-141 on PlaySugarhouse Sportsbook) for 1 RW Buck
Wainwright not only defied Father Time in his age-40 season, he outright trampled right over him on his way to a 17-win tally that was his best since 2014. However, he walks into a hornet's nest in this postseason matchup, even with the Dodgers missing Max Muncy (elbow). Los Angeles was harder on visiting righties than any other team in the National League over the last month of the season with a .390 wOBA, 21.6 wRAA and MLB-high 24 home runs in that span.
Wainwright yielded a 1.2 HR/9 on the road this season and was hit hard in his last road start of the regular season by the Brewers (4 IP, 5 ER, 2 HRs allowed). The Dodgers bring a similarly potent lineup and averaged 5.1 runs and an MLB-high 1.7 HRs per contest at home, while current L.A. bats boast a collective .280 average with eight extra-base hits (out of 22) against Wainwright. In contrast, Scherzer has held Cards hitters to a lifetime .130 average while posting a 37.6 percent strikeout rate in that sample of 149 career encounters.
