Don't let the sizzling triple-digit temperatures across the country fool you: October baseball isn't far away.
And fans are actually getting a hint of playoff ball this week in Atlanta, where the Braves and Dodgers are in the midst of a three-game series in which the two division leaders have been been separated by little more than a rumor. In Game 1 on Tuesday, Atlanta eked out a 4-3 win on Ozzie Albies' go-ahead single with two outs in the eighth inning. And then last night, the teams traded the lead four times, capped off by pinch-hitter Ha-Seong Kim's walk-off single for a wild 6-5 Braves victory.
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Thursday's final game of the series has the best pitching matchup of them all. Chris Sale (12-9, 2.20 ERA) takes the mound for Atlanta against L.A.'s Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-7, 2.61). The Braves are -122 money line favorites against the Dodgers (+110).
While Braves vs. Dodgers is the marquee attraction on Thursday, there are other sports betting options on a sporting landscape that includes six other MLB games and a four-game NFL preseason slate. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet at the best sports betting apps, for Thursday, Aug. 27. All times Eastern.
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MLB best bets, where to watch
Royals at Blue Jays
Time: 7:07 p.m. | Location: Toronto | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Blue Jays +1.5 (-173) | Expert: Royals -110 (Eric Cohen)
The hottest team in all of baseball is — and this is not a misprint — Kansas City. Even though the Royals lost on Wednesday, they are 9-1 over their last 10 games. (To be fair, seven of those wins came over the Athletics and Tigers.) On Thursday, Noah Cameron (8-8, 4.02) takes the mound for Kansas City. He has a 1.05 ERA over his last six starts and has gone at least seven innings in four of those. "Current Blue Jays are only 3-for-20 (.150 average) against the left-hander," Cohen says. Meanwhile the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every MLB 10,000 times, doesn't completely disagree. It says Toronto has a 72.0% chance to cover and assigns a B grade to the Blue Jays run line of +1.5 (-173).
Brewers at Mets
Time: 7:10 p.m. | Location: New York | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Mets +173 | Expert: Brewers -1.5 -119 (Matt Snyder)
Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski can strengthen his case to win the National League Cy Young Award when he takes the mound against the Mets at Citi Field. Misiorowski (13-5, 1.68) leads all of baseball in ERA, strikeouts (216) and WHIP (0.76) and gives the Brewers, who have the best record in the majors at 82-51, a major edge in starting pitching. "The Mets are sending Sean Manaea and his 4.31 ERA to the mound," Snyder says. However, the SportsLine Projection Model disagrees. It says New York has a 42.0% chance to win and gives a B grade to the Mets money line (+173).
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Dodgers at Braves
Time: 7:15 p.m. | Location: Atlanta | TV: FS1 | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Over 6.5
Just because two aces are set to take the mound, there is no guarantee that this will be a low-scoring pitchers' duel. Both Sale and Yamamoto have taken the mound 23 times this season, and seven or more runs have been scored in 12 of those 23 games for both pitchers (or 24 of 46 games combined). In addition, the teams have gone Over 6.5 in both of the first two games of the series. They also have combined for 43 hits. The SportsLine Projection Model says there's a 68.8% chance the teams combine for seven runs or more and assigns a B grade to Over 6.5 (-105).
Diamondbacks at Giants
Time: 9:45 p.m. | Location: San Francisco | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Giants -105 | Expert: Diamondbacks -111 (Eric Cohen)
One day after he was pushed back from a scheduled start against the Reds, San Francisco righty Landen Roupp will take the mound against Arizona. Roupp (7-13, 4.34) was pulled on Wednesday so that Giants ace Logan Webb could face Cincinnati instead. (San Francisco lost.) Cohen notes that, since May, San Francisco is 2-17 when Roupp gets the ball. "Arizona is scheduled to start Jose Cabrera, who was not successful earlier this season, but I'm still fading the lowly Giants and Roupp when I can," Cohen says. The SportsLine Projection Model disagrees. It says San Francisco has a 58.0% chance to win and gives a B grade to the Giants money line (-105).
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NFL best bets, where to watch
Rams at Chargers
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Inglewood, Calif. | TV: NFL Network | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Expert: Rams +4.5 (Larry Hartstein)
Los Angeles' two NFL teams close out their preseason schedules when the Rams and Chargers battle at SoFi Stadium. Though preseason records mean next to nothing, the Rams have won both of their games this preseason and are coming off a 34-0 win over the Saints. The Rams have thrown for 482 yards over the first two games, which is tied for the fourth-most in the league. Ty Simpson has completed 29 of 37 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns, while Stetson Bennett IV has completed 23 of 37 for 219 yards. Neither quarterback has been intercepted or sacked. "I like the Rams' QB depth more than the Chargers' backup battle between Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei," Hartstein told SportsLine.
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