The MLB Wild Card round rolls on, and I'm starting today's parlay by backing the Braves to finish off a sweep of the Phillies, following a 5-3 victory at home on Tuesday. Atlanta victimized a shaky Philadelphia bullpen with a three-run blast by Austin Riley in the bottom of the eighth inning. And that is the biggest difference between these two teams. The Braves' bullpen is great. Tyler Mahle has been awesome for them, too. If he can go toe to toe with Cristopher Sanchez, Atlanta should once again have the edge late in the game.
Next, I'm taking the Yankees to send the Red Sox home tonight. Cam Schlittler dominated for New York in Game 1 and the home team now sends Max Fried to the mound. When you have that kind of 1-2 punch, it doesn't matter if you are missing Aaron Judge from the lineup. It certainly didn’t matter on Tuesday, when Ben Rice powered the Yankees to nine runs in a shutout victory. The Yankees didn't even have to use their high-leverage relievers. They are in a fantastic spot for Game 2.
To bring home our MLB Wild Card parlay, let's take the Padres to wrap things up against the Cubs. San Diego rolled 8-0 in Game 1 and should be well positioned to finish off thise series in two straight games. Their lineup is on fire and they have Nick Pivetta on the mound. He is 3-2 with a 2.86 ERA since returning to San Diego's rotation. For Chicago, Kevin Gausman went 9-12 with a 4.51 ERA. The Padres simply look too good at home.
