The Los Angeles Angels have gone all-in to make a postseason push, despite facing long odds.

While they still have a long way to go on the outside looking in on the American League Wild Card race, their chances got just a little bit better following another MVP performance by baseball’s best player.

Shohei Ohtani added to his MVP resume with the first complete game of his MLB career in a 6-0 win over the Detroit Tigers in the first game of Thursday's double-header.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Ohtani doubled down with a pair of home runs in the second game to propel Los Angeles to an 11-4 win.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Ohtani became the first player ever to throw a shutout in one game of a double-header, then hit a home run in the other game.

He also became the fifth player since 1900 to throw a shutout and hit two home runs on the same day and the first since 1971.

Ohtani remains the overwhelming favourite to win the AL MVP award at FanDuel this morning.

With the Angels set to begin a crucial three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays tonight, all eyes remain locked on the phenom to see what he will do next.

This is the Morning Coffee for Friday July 28th, 2023.

 

Ohtani Arrives In Toronto Following Another MVP Display

Just when it seemed like the expectations for Ohtani had peaked, he showcased his unparalleled potential and did something that nobody could have expected in Detroit.

Ohtani’s phenomenal play has LA in an unfamiliar position in the final days before the MLB trade deadline.

This is the latest that the Angels have been five games above .500 since Ohtani joined the team in 2018.

The Halos have won four straight and eight of their past nine games to improve to 54-49.

Despite the epic run, LA is still three games back of the final American League Wild Card spot.

Next up, the Angels square off with the team that they are chasing for that final Wild Card with a three-game series in Toronto that begins tonight.

The Blue Jays took two of three when these teams met earlier this season.

That was despite Ohtani’s brilliance, as the MVP favourite went 5-of-12 with a home run and two RBI in the series.

How important is it for LA to gain some ground in this series?

The Angels will have the toughest schedule in baseball in the month of August, based on opponent win percentage.

After making the decision to go all-in and acquire Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox, LA will turn to Giolito opposite Kevin Gausman for Toronto in tonight’s series opener.

The Blue Jays are currently a -205 favourite to win tonight’s game at FanDuel.

The Angels are +172 to pull off the upset win in the series opener.

While baseball fans in Toronto that wanted to see him pitch in-person will be disappointed that he won’t start, it will be very interesting to see what Ohtani has in store for a crucial series this weekend.

 

Three FanDuel Best Bets To Consider For Friday’s MLB Slate

The Cleveland Guardians got to Dylan Cease early to spoil our FanDuel Best Bet with the No Run First Inning in last night’s game against the Chicago White Sox.

Let’s see if we can turn the page and end the week with a couple of MLB winners.

First up, I’m taking the Miami Marlins ML at -144 against the Detroit Tigers.

The Marlins were a major regression candidate after the All-Star Break, and we saw exactly that as they dropped eight in a row to begin the second half.

However, Miami has since won two of three, including a 7-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.

Following a day off, they get an excellent opportunity to regain some ground in the standings back at home against the Detroit Tigers this weekend.

Braxton Garrett has struggled of late, but this is an excellent opportunity to get back on track.

Detroit has gone 0-4 in Reese Olson’s starts in the month of July.

I’ll take the Marlins ML at -144 as a FanDuel Best Bet.

Next up, I’m taking the Cleveland Guardians ML at -144 against the White Sox.

The Guardians have won three in a row, including a 6-2 win over Chicago last night.

After trading Giolito and Lopez to Los Angeles, the White Sox are clearly turning the page to focus on their future, while Cleveland is just 1.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins for first place in the AL Central.

I like Cleveland to win tonight at -144 at FanDuel. 

Sonny Gray is set to get the start for the Twins, which went 9-2 to start the second half before back-to-back one-run losses to the Seattle Mariners.

Minnesota should be able to bounce back against one of the worst teams in baseball to begin a three-game series.

I’ll take the Twins on the money line at -172.

Speaking of the Twins, they should be able to maintain their lead ahead of the Guardians in the standings with a win over the Kansas City Royals tonight.

For what it’s worth, a three-leg parlay with all three money line picks pays +354 at FanDuel.

Good luck to anyone who tails!