One way BetOnline can get you to take a more aggressive approach with regard to your sports bets is by boosting odds on a few games every night. The American sports schedule is incredibly busy right now, with the NBA and NHL playoffs ongoing while MLB and MLS have their regular seasons in full swing. To top things off, the NFL season starts a little over a week from today.
What better way to pass the time ahead of NFL season than to bet on the sports currently in action? You need to boost your bankroll by the time football season begins, and one way to do so is by taking advantage of some of BetOnline’s daily boosted odds. Which games should you target on Wednesday, September 2?
MLB: Yankees and Blue Jays BOTH to Win (+275)
The Yankees finally got a win over the Tampa Bay Rays last night, while the Blue Jays are fighting for one of the last playoff spots in the American League. Both AL East teams will be in action on Wednesday. The Yanks will have Jordan Montgomery on the mound at home against the Rays, while the Blue Jays will throw ace Hyun-jin Ryu to the hill against Miami on the road.
Chris Montgomery has been a mixed bag so far this season. The injury-plagued lefty has allowed at least three runs in three of his last four starts, and Tampa Bay has quietly been among the most prolific offensive teams in all of baseball this season.
The Rays will be countering with Charlie Morton, who is making his first start since coming off the injured list. Morton lasted just two innings against the Yankees before leaving his last start nearly a month ago, but the team is hoping a lengthy stay on the IL will cure his shoulder woes. New York is a slight -125 moneyline favorite in this one.
The Marlins, meanwhile, will have top prospect Sixto Sanchez toeing the rubber tonight at home against Toronto. Sanchez has looked like the real deal in both of his MLB starts to this point. The flame-throwing right-hander struck out 10 Rays in seven shutout innings last time out, so he looks ready for the big stage. Ryu has been his typical steady self, so the Jays are -115 road favorites tonight at Marlins Park.
MLB: Indians, Astros, Padres ALL to Win (+330)
The Cleveland Indians will continue their series in Kansas City with youngster Triston McKenzie set to make his third big league start. McKenzie struck out 10 in his debut a couple of weeks ago before lasting just four innings last time out against the Cardinals. The Tribe are -157 road moneyline favorites against a Royals team that will counter with right-hander Jakob Junis.
The Astros will look to bounce back following last night’s extra-innings loss to the Texas Rangers. Another rookie, Christian Javier, will start for Houston opposite Texas lefty Kolby Allard. The Astros have struggled offensively at home this season, but oddsmakers are still confident in the Astros’ chances against one of baseball’s worst teams. Houston is a -180 favorite at Minute Maid Park.
Padres starting rotation after acquiring Mike Clevinger:
• Chris Paddack
• Dinelson Lamet
• Mike Clevinger
• Zach Davies
• Garrett Richards pic.twitter.com/bqdmlqUqYu— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) August 31, 2020
The Padres will head to Anaheim for an interleague matchup against the Angels. Dinelson Lamet, who has quietly emerged as a Cy Young candidate, will lead San Diego against Angels veteran right-hander Julio Teheran. Teheran has a 9.17 ERA on the season, and the Angels have been one of the more disappointing teams in the league. San Diego is a massive -210 road favorite.
NBA: Bucks and Rockets BOTH to Win (+320)
The Bucks were taken by surprise against Miami in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series on Monday, when the Heat stormed their way to a 115-104 victory. The Heat had a week of rest prior to that game, while the Bucks had just a day off after getting past Orlando in the first round.
The Bucks dropped Game 1 of that series against the Magic before bouncing back and taking each of the next four games. However, Miami has had Milwaukee’s number. The Bucks are just 1-3 against the Heat, including playoffs. The Heat are the only Eastern Conference team in the league that has beaten the mighty Bucks on multiple occasions, as well.
The Rockets, meanwhile, will look to finally do away with the pesky Thunder in Game 7 of their first-round series in the nightcap. Houston has choked away three games in this series already, and James Harden hasn’t dominated the series the way many believed he would. Houston’s shooting has been dreadful, though, and the team was plagued by several costly late-game turnovers by Russell Westbrook in their Game 6 defeat.
The Bucks and Rockets are both listed as -223 moneyline favorites to win their games tonight, according to BetOnline.
NBA: Rockets to Win AND Over 219.5 Points (+310)
The Rockets have been one of the highest-scoring teams in the NBA for the last several years, but they’re hardly known for their defense. However, Houston has been the league’s stingiest defense so far in these playoffs, as their small-ball approach with constant switching on the defensive side of the floor has given Oklahoma City problems. The Thunder have been among the most disciplined defensive teams in the league all year, as well.
James Harden: “We did a better job of guarding the ball, guarding their [isolations] and things like that…We did a good job individually taking on the challenge and our weak-side defense was better as well.” #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) August 30, 2020
So, this series hasn’t been a high-scoring one. Through the first six games, the teams have combined to score 231, 209, 226 (OT), 231, 194, and 204 points. Winner-take-all games tend to be lower-scoring in general, as well. Just last night, the Nuggets got past the Jazz, 80-78, in one of the lowest-scoring games we’ve seen all year.
MLS: Revolution and Red Bulls BOTH to Win (+400)
Major League Soccer has a hefty 11-game slate on tap for Wednesday. The New England Revolution are listed at +154 to win their home match against New York City FC, while the New York Red Bulls are sizable -140 favorites to beat DC United.
The Revs are just 2-5-1 on the season to this point, and they’re coming off a 1-1 draw against the Red Bulls last time out. New England has been one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference for years, so their slow start is hardly a surprise. New England has missed the playoffs in three of the last four years, and last season they finished just 11-11-12. The Revolution went 1-1 against NYCFC a season ago.
New York is a perennial Eastern Conference contender, but a disappointing showing in the MLS is Back Tournament and a 1-1-1 record since the restart have the team lower in the standings than most expected.
NYCFC and DC United are both outside looking in on the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but most still expect NYCFC to be among the better teams in the conference this season.
What’s The Best Bet?
I’m not confident in the Revolution’s chances of knocking off NYCFC outright, which has me backing away from the MLS odds boost at +400. I think we can find better value today. I would also be passing on Yankees and Blue Jays both to win at +275, mostly because I don’t trust Jordan Montgomery to hold his own against the Tampa Bay lineup. The prospect of the Jays facing Sixto Sanchez isn’t exactly comfortable, either.
I’d also scratch off the Rockets to win and the game going over 219.5 points. This series has been more of a defensive struggle than I expected it to be, and I wouldn’t be too shocked to see the game go under that total once again.
I never love relying on a three-way result, but Indians-Astros-Padres all to win at +330 is a solid option. Each team has a lopsided pitching matchup in its favor, which is why they’re all pretty heavy moneyline favorites.
However, I do think the Rockets ultimately win Game 7, while I like the Bucks’ chances of evening their own series against the Heat. Betting on Milwaukee and Houston to win individually at -223 apiece offers very little value, but you can get +320 odds if you take advantage of the boosted odds. I would be all over this as a bettor.
You can’t beat the Bucks and Rockets both to win at +320, though. Jump on that boost while you still can!
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith has been a staff writer with GamblingSites.org since early 2017. Taylor is primarily a sports writer, though he will occasionally dabble in other things like politics and entertainment betting. His primary specialties are writing about the NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL and domestic and international soccer. Fringe sports like golf and horse racing aren’t exactly his cup of tea, bu …
