MLB Gas Can Alert For Wednesday, Aug. 10

Miami Marlins vs. Noah Syndergaard (7.20 ERA), Philadelphia Phillies

That ERA for Syndergaard isn't his overall ERA for the season, which sits at 4.02, but it is his ERA with the Philadelphia Phillies after his first start with the team went terribly. The Miami Marlins aren't a team that you would usually target for offense, but against a struggling Syndergaard, they may be one of the best bets on this slate to get the win. That stems from the fact that they have Sandy Alcantara on the mound for them, who is the favorite for NL Cy Young right now. He will limit the Philly offense, and it will be up to Miami to put up some runs here against a guy that has fallen on tough times as of late. Syndergaard's time with the Angels was a failure, and so far, it appears his days as a dominant pitcher in this league are behind him.

In his last start, Syndergaard allowed four earned runs on 11 hits and no walks while striking out two across five innings of work to earn the win against the Nationals. He managed only seven swinging strikes on 79 total pitches against a poor Nationals lineup. He avoided a completely disastrous debut by getting out of several jams. However, I will give credit where it is due here. Despite racking up only 66 strikeouts across 85 innings, Syndergaard has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 12 of his 16 starts, which has resulted in his 4.02 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. I just feel like eventually his luck is going to run out, and it could be any day.

Detroit Tigers vs. Aaron Civale (6.17 ERA), Cleveland Guardians

He's back! After a stint on the 15-day IL, Civale makes his return against the Tigers on Wednesday. We have had a lot of fun betting against him this season, and we are very happy to hear that he has returned to the rotation. Although, some of these bad pitchers seem to play well after stints on the IL, so I'd at least be a little cautious here. That, and the Tigers offense is pretty much a walking garbage can that should simply not be trusted. Still, it is almost impossible not to look at Civale's 7.67 road ERA and not bet against him in some form coming off of an injury.

In his last start, Civale pitched for Triple-A Rochester in his rehab start, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits across four innings of work, striking out three while walking two. He may be on a pitch count in his return, so that is definitely something to monitor when betting this game.

Houston Astros vs. Glenn Otto (5.31 ERA), Texas Rangers

The Astros are sending Justin Verlander to the mound in this game, which could spell certain doom to the Ranger's hopes of winning this game before it even begins. Houston has a great offense as well that can absolutely tear up opposing pitchers, especially when they are horrendous and get pounded game and game again, and that is what they are getting here when facing Otto. The Astros are a whopping 11.5 games ahead of Seattle for the division lead in the AL West, and the chances that anyone catches up with them are slim to none.

In his last start, Otto allowed two runs on four hits and a walk over six innings of work, striking out seven and taking the loss against the White Sox. He lowered his season ERA to 5.31 after allowing fewer than three runs for just the second time in his last eight appearances. He also tied his season high with seven strikeouts. Otto will carry a 64:39 K-to-BB into this matchup, and nothing about his performance this season says that he is going to beat Verlander in this contest.