Market Disagreement Over the Lizard King in Monday MLB Matinee
Kim Klement-USA Today Sports. Pictured: Miles Mikolas
We've been given an afternoon treat today, as we have five baseball games before the evening slate. Nothing like a little day baseball. One NL Central showdown at 2 p.m. ET is seeing mixed opinions from the market, as sharps and squares are quite divided.
The 1-2 Cardinals are already trailing the Brewers, who swept the Padres and are off to a 3-0 start. Now, I wouldn't quite say this is a must win for the Cardinals yet, but definitely not a bad idea if they wanted to win today, though.
Using the tools and data available through The Action Network, let's break down how both professional and public bettors are treating this matchup.
You may have noticed the words "Lizard King" in the title and, no, I'm not referring to Jim Morrison. He's long dead and has no skin in this baseball game. Instead, I'm referring to Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas (pictured above) who chows lizards for a little extra bullpen protein.
Interesting texture, I'd have to imagine.
The public is fading the Lizard King and backing Zach Davies and the Brewers. Davies had an impressive 17 wins last season, but his near 4.5 xFIP suggests that he was a bit lucky.
Meanwhile, Mikolas has posted a minuscule 2.18 ERA and sub-1 WHIP over his past three seasons…in Japan, that is. After a few mediocre seasons in the bigs, he's been dominant enough overseas to get another shot in the majors. Today is his big first test.
Though the public isn't backing this salmonella-riddled righty, sharp bettors are. With more than twice as much money as bets, the Cards have moved from +110 to +106 at Bookmaker and +117 to +104 at Pinnacle, two of the sharpest market-setting books.
The morning is young, so keep your eyes on the lines and percentages to see if money continues to pile on the Cardinals.
"I am the Lizard King, I can do anything." – Jim Morrison/Miles Mikolas
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