MLB Tuesday Recap: Moneyline Underdogs Rule the Slate
Favorites Go a Lousy 5-9 in Surprising Night on the Diamond
Underdogs enjoyed a strong showing across Major League Baseball on Tuesday, going 9-5 straight up. That includes a 6-0 victory by the Atlanta Braves, who overcame slight odds at +105 to beat the Miami Marlins 6-0. Reigning Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara dropped to 1-3 with a 5.09 ERA after allowing three runs in five innings. Read on for more results in our MLB Tuesday recap.
Big Night for the ‘Dogs
At +175, the Cincinnati Reds overcame the biggest odds on the moneyline, defeating the San Diego Padres 2-1 in 10 innings at Petco Park. Second baseman Jonathan India singled home the go-ahead run to lead off extras.
Elsewhere, the San Francisco Giants (+165) shut out the Houston Astros 2-0 on the road behind eight brilliant innings from Anthony DeSclafani, and the Colorado Rockies (+145) edged the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 at Coors Field. Catcher Elias Diaz homered and also drove in the eventual winning run with an eighth-inning single.
Rays Keep Rolling
Tampa Bay maintained its stellar start, defeating the resurgent Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 at Tropicana Field to improve to 24-6. Additionally, the Rays moved to an MLB-best 20-10 against the spread, covering the -1.5 run line (+120) in our MLB Tuesday recap.
In doing so, the Rays became only the fifth MLB team in the expansion era (since 1961) to win at least 24 of their first 30 games, following the 1977 Dodgers, 1981 Athletics, 1984 Tigers and 2016 Cubs. To this point, they’ve scored the most runs while allowing the fewest, good for a run differential of +106. The second-best run differential currently belongs to the Texas Rangers at +74.
Also notably, according to Stats Perform, Tampa Bay is 20-0 when scoring first. That matches the 1990 Reds for the longest such winning streak to begin a season in the modern era.
Bryce is Back
Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his return, just 160 days after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Philadelphia lost 13-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers to drop to 15-16, including 14-17 ATS.
Harper was inserted into the lineup as the designated hitter, as he’s not yet able to throw as a position player. He’s been working out at first base and is expected to see time there as he recovers.
Harper tore his UCL last May and played through the injury during the Phillies’ run to the World Series against the Houston Astros. The two-time National League Most Valuable Player hit .286 with 18 home runs and 65 RBI in 99 games in 2022, per MLB player stats, and underwent surgery in late November.
The Phillies tread water in Harper’s absence, starting 15-15 after entering the season with +300 odds to win the NL East and +750 odds to defend their league title.
Unders Have the Edge`
Teams combined to average 7.2 runs, as 10 of the 14 games in our MLB Tuesday recap finished under the projected run total. Six teams scored just one run and two (Miami, Houston) were shut out.
The Baltimore Orioles outslugged the Kansas City Royals 11-7 in the highest scoring game of the day. The teams combined to hit six home runs, including two apiece from first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and catcher Salvador Perez. The Orioles, a -175 favorite, hit the over in the fifth inning when Mountcastle hit a two-run homer, his second of the night, to make it 10-3.
San Francisco’s 2-0 victory over Houston was the lowest-scoring game on the slate.
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