We’re almost at the point where we’ve got all sports going on every day, so there’s a good slate of action available for this Moneyline Monday after suffering through a rough one a week ago. We’ve got baseball, soccer and preseason football available today, so we’ve got some good chances at cashing some moneyline winners. Here are a few of my best bets for August 23.
LEICESTER CITY, +180
West Ham United might have won this matchup twice last year, but there’s a good chance that Leicester City can end that here. The Foxes did what they always do against Wolves in the opener: get the goal they need for the win, keep the shutout and get out. Meanwhile, the Hammers conceded twice to a Newcastle side that couldn’t break down Aston Villa, who’s been one of the leakiest defenses in the Premier League since the start of last season. The Foxes should have enough to grab a win here.
AC MILAN, +100
You might want to bump this up to AC Milan and BTTS at +240, because both have found the net in Milan’s past two visits to Il Doria, and that was with Gianluigi Donnarumma, the hero of Italy’s Euro 2020 win, manning the net. Mike Maignan takes over, and while he’s not Donnarumma, he should be solid at the back, which means Milan is good value to get its third straight win at Sampdoria. Throw in that you’re getting last year’s runner-up at even money, and this should be a solid play.
BRAVES, -115
Quietly, Atlanta has turned it on and taken over the NL East, as the Mets and Phillies left the Braves alive long enough for them to figure out what was going wrong and start playing like what they were expected to do. Huascar Ynoa has a 1.54 ERA at Truist Park this season, which should allow the Braves to get past the equally sizzling Yankees.
MARINERS, +115
I’m not sure why we’re getting plus money with Seattle when Oakland has dropped three straight to the Mariners and is sending spot starter Paul Blackburn out to face Marco Gonzales. But I’m not going to question what would be good fortune here as long as Gonzales continues to pitch like he has for the past two months. Seattle has to have this series and should come out desperate for a win.
JAGUARS, +170
What does each team want out of this game? Jacksonville is trying to showcase both of its quarterbacks, because it needs to get Trevor Lawrence ready for Week 1 and wants to get someone interested in Gardner Minshew, who will either be holding a clipboard in Duval County or starting for someone else who’s willing to give him a shot. If the Saints can’t get better play out of Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill, that team might even be New Orleans, who’s trying to solve its quarterback dilemma. The Jaguars have more to gain by putting up points and are further along, so I’ll back them to get the win here.
