Best Bets in Sports: Rangers’ Nathan Eovaldi to Trouble Diamondbacks in Game 1

The World Series begins tonight with one of the more unlikely matchups. The Diamondbacks won 84 games in the regular season, but upset the Phillies in the NLCS, winning the last two games in Philadelphia. 

Arizona will play the Texas Rangers, who were also a wild card in the American League. The Rangers, too, won the final two games on the road in Houston to win in seven games. Nathan Eovaldi will pitch for the Rangers and Zac Gallen goes for Arizona. The Rangers are -160 on the money line and the Diamondbacks are +135. The run total is 8.5

It’s a good slate in the NBA on Friday with 11 games. Nikola Jokić, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Donovan Mitchell, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Curry are some of the stars in action. Here are my best bets for Friday.

Nathan Eovaldi OVER 15.5 outs (-125 DraftKings Sportsbook)
Eovaldi was having a great season then landed on the injured list with a forearm strain in July. He returned in September and wasn’t good with his velocity down. Then, the postseason started, and he’s back to the dominant pitcher he was early in the season. Eovaldi has made four starts in the postseason and recorded 20, 21, 18 and 19 outs. He has a 2.42 ERA and a 28:4 K:BB ratio over 26 innings. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has a longer leash than most this postseason with his top starters, although it has helped they’re pitching well. 

Jalen Duren OVER 22.5 points+rebounds (-115 bet365 Sportsbook)
Duren had a good rookie season and when he played 25-30 minutes, he often went over this line. In the first game of the season against a good Miami defense, Duren played 32 minutes and had 17 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 8-for-11 from the field and 1-for-3 from the free-throw line. Duren had 23 potential rebounds in the game. The matchup is great against the Hornets, which perennially struggle against centers. The game total is 226.5 points and the Hornets play at a fast pace.

Dennis Schroeder OVER 20.5 points+rebounds+assists (-135 bet365 Sportsbook)
Schroeder is the starting point guard for the Raptors after playing with the Lakers last season. He looked good to open the season against Minnesota with a 26.1% usage rate. Toronto only scored 97 points, but the majority of the production came from the starters. Schroeder had 22 points, seven assists and three rebounds in 33 minutes. He shot 8-for-17 from the field, including 4-for-8 from three-point range and hit both free throws. Even if he doesn’t shoot as well, the assists will be there. He had 17 potential assists in the first game and will face a Bulls team that allowed 124 points against the Thunder in their first game. 

Jaren Jackson OVER 2.5 blocked shots (+155 bet365 Sportsbook)
It was pretty simple with Jackson last season. When he was at home, play his over on blocked shots. In 33 games at home, Jackson averaged 3.6 blocks per game compared to 2.4 on the road. In the first game of the season in Memphis, the Grizzlies’ center had five blocks in 36 minutes. Foul trouble is always the risk with Jackson, but he had five fouls against the Pelicans and still got to 36 minutes. Jackson has a difficult matchup against Nikola Jokić, but he has played well against him. Jackson faced Denver three times last season and had one, five and three blocks. 

Yesterday’s record: 1-1 (-.05 units)
All-time record: 77–43 (+26.52 units)