MLB Playoffs: BetQL Staff Picks For Wild-Card Round

MLB Best Bets

The 2022 MLB playoffs are here, which means more tough decisions for bettors. To help you make the best bets, the BetQL experts have picked their favorite wild-card series bets below.

BetQL subscribers can see more betting trends and all of our best bets with star ratings for every game. Take advantage of BetQL's free trial and see all of today's best MLB bets, plus what the model is projecting for this week's NFL and college football games! Start your free trial today!

Rays at Guardians

Dan Karpuc: Rays +108 at FanDuel. Cleveland is the youngest team in the postseason and with Shane McClanahan and Tyler Glasnow on the mound for Tampa Bay and with their proven ability to mix and match lineups based on matchups, I’m giving the edge to Kevin Cash and his squad.

Lucy Burdge: Guardians -120 at BetMGM. I like the Guardians as a sleeper to win the World Series, so I like them to take down the Rays in this series. I’m always rooting for Terry Francona anyway, so I like Cleveland’s chances to get past the Rays and go deep into the postseason.

Brad Pinkerton: Series Over 2.5 Games (-105 at BetMGM). With two of the AL's top pitching staffs facing off, I'm expecting a low-scoring series that goes the "distance." Rather than splitting hairs and trying to guess who wins, I'll take Over 2.5 Games for -105 and enjoy all three games. If you're also thinking that way, take a look at the Rays winning 2-1 for +280 at Caesars and DraftKings, and/or the Guardians winning 2-1 for +260 at FanDuel.

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Phillies at Cardinals

Dan Karpuc: Phillies +120 at Caesars. Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola were both sensational down the stretch and this Phillies lineup is very dangerous at the top with Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper. Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright are candidates to start for St. Louis, but I’m giving the edge to Philly.

Lucy Burdge: Phillies +120 at Caesars. The Phillies are 4-3 against the Cardinals this season and I think they’ll get the best of them again in this three-game series. They’ve also outscored the Cardinals 22-20 head-to-head this year, so I think the Phillies will topple the Cardinals’ playoff hopes and win this wild-card series.

Brad Pinkerton: Cardinals -134 at FanDuel. These two teams are remarkably similar across the board in most offensive and pitching categories, but the glaring differences that stand out to me are in areas critical to postseason success: bullpen ERA (Cardinals are No. 4 in the NL with a 3.61 ERA; Phillies are 11th at 4.27) and defense (Cardinals rank No. 2 in NL in FanGraph's Defense rating; Phillies are 13th). That gives the Cardinals an edge, in addition to playing at home, where they won more than 65% of their games, while the Phillies were just under .500 on the road. I'm also looking at the Cardinals winning exactly 2-1 for +220 at Caesars.

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Mariners at Blue Jays

Dan Karpuc: Mariners +144 at FanDuel. There’s something very special about this Mariners team. Not only did they break a huge postseason drought, but Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray and Logan Gilbert are a formidable starting pitching trio that should give Seattle an edge against Toronto’s shaky pitching staff. Also, don’t forget how right-handed-heavy this Jays lineup is. That should haunt them in the postseason, even if they have pop.

Lucy Burdge: Mariners +144 at FanDuel. The Mariners could be a powerhouse through this postseason and I think they can defeat the Blue Jays here. Seattle finally ended their playoff drought and I don’t think they’re going to waste this opportunity to make it deeper into the postseason now that they’ve finally made it, so give me the Mariners to pull the upset in Toronto.

Brad Pinkerton: Series Over 2.5 Games -105 at DraftKings. I think this is going to be an unpredictable, Jekyll-and-Hyde series where pitching dominates Game 1, hitting dominates Game 2 and who knows what happens in Game 3. So, give me Over 2.5 games in what should be an entertaining series if nothing else. If you're looking for a winner, though, the value is clearly on the Mariners, and I will be betting Seattle's run line all series based on these teams' home/road ATS splits this season (more on that to come).

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Padres at Mets

Dan Karpuc: Mets -170 at Caesars. Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom will start Games 1 and 2, respectively, in this best-of-three series at home. Advantage: Mets. New York is the more complete, consistent team and showed that off all season.

Lucy Burdge: Mets -170 at Caesars. The Mets are starting Scherzer up against Yu Darvish in Game 1 and even though the Padres got the victory the last time these two pitchers faced off, I think the Mets can get revenge with a win here and then go on to win this series. They kind of started Metting late in the season with a bit of a skid, but I think they’ll get it together and win this series.

Brad Pinkerton: Mets win 2-0 +160 at DraftKings. To be honest, there's just not much value to be had in this series, even looking at Padres +1.5 at -190. I don't trust the Padres at all, ever, much less as road 'dogs against deGrom and Scherzer, so I'll take the Mets to sweep at +160 in what should be the most likely outcome. Bonus: If you like the Mets to make a World Series run, they're a solid pick in both BetRivers' and BetMGM's World Series bet-and-get promos, so you could get some of your stake back with each series they win, starting in this round, where they are the heaviest of the four favorites. Bonus bonus: Those futures bets could also be your risk-free bets at BetRivers (up to $500) and BetMGM (up to $1,000), so check out those offers, as well as the Caesars offer below!

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MORE PICKS: AL PENNANT | NL PENNANT | WORLD SERIES

BetQL subscribers can see more betting trends and all of our best bets with star ratings for every game. Take advantage of BetQL's free trial and see all of today's best MLB bets, plus what the model is projecting for this week's NFL and college football games! Start your free trial today!