MLB Betting Tips: Phillies bounce-back worth a punt

After another thrilling night to open the MLB Division Series, the National League sets head to Game 2 on Sunday with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets boasting leads (live on TNT Sports 3 from 21:00 BST).

There will be pressure on the Philadelphia Phillies in particular to get their World Series hopes back on track, and here are my MLB Betting Tips.

Today’s MLB Odds

NL Division Series Game 2: New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies Odds (21:08 BST)

The one team to let me down for the four-game home sweep pick on Saturday was the Phillies as they surrendered a long-held lead in Game 1 to lose to the Mets.

But they go again on Sunday with Christopher Sanchez on the mound, and they are 8/13 to level the series. The Mets are 13/10 to continue their magical run which began with last Monday’s Game 161 win in Atlanta before they then disposed of the Brewers in the Wild Card round.

NL Division Series Game 2: San Diego Padres @ Los Angeles Dodgers Odds (01:03 BST Monday)

The big-ticket Dodgers showed their power in Game 1, with Shohei Ohtani marking his postseason debut with a massive three-run home run in their come-from-behind success.

Fancy them to back that up and take a commanding lead to San Diego on Tuesday? Well, they are 8/11 with Betfred to win Game 2, with the Padres an 11/10 shot to even things up at an implied probability of 47.6%.

• Phillies -1.5 @ 13/10

The Mets are on a roll just now and will rightly feel confidence coursing through their veins heading into Game 2 at Citizens Bank Park. The problem is, these Phillies are a machine when they are on it.

This ought to be a fairly tight match-up on the pitching mound as Luis Severino starts for the Mets up against Sanchez, but I just fancy the Phils to get more damage done with the bats.

And I reckon the handicap market gives us a good chance to find some value, with Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner et al a fair shout to give the Mets a bit of a jolt after Saturday’s step backwards.

Dodgers-Padres Under 7.5 Total Runs @ 6/5

Oh, the threats these two batting line-ups have! So why am I tipping the under on the total runs market? Because of the starting pitchers.

Jack Flaherty is the man being given the ball by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, and his 3.17 ERA and 13-7 win-loss record in 2024 show he is a man with form on his side.

And across the way is Yu Darvish, who Dodger fans know only too well can be a demon on his day. His career postseason record (4-6, 4.19 ERA) in no way matches his regular-season dominance, but I fancy him to quieten the bats of his former team on Sunday.

When he’s on his game, with his never-ending pitch arsenal firing, there is just no answer to Darvish. So I’m thinking he goes well at Dodger Stadium and keeps things just as tight as Flaherty does.

This could be an epic.

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