MLB Sharp Betting Picks: A’s vs. Diamondbacks, Rays vs. Yankees, More (Tuesday, Aug. 18)

MLB Sharp Betting Picks: A’s vs. Diamondbacks, Rays vs. Yankees, More (Tuesday, Aug. 18) article feature image
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Mike Carlson/Getty Images. Pictured: Blake Snell

  • Sharp MLB bettors weighed in on a handful of games on Tuesday, including A's vs. D'Backs and Yankees vs. Rays.
  • Danny Donahue details how professionals are shaping these lines.

Sharps have been busy on Tuesday's baseball slate. Several games have been on the receiving end of some sort of pro action, and a few in particular have been no-doubters.

Check out how smart money is affecting the following games below.

MLB Sharp Bets

  • Athletics vs. Diamondbacks (6:10 p.m. ET)
  • Rays vs. Yankees (7:35 p.m. ET)
  • Brewers vs. Twins (8:10 p.m. ET)

Odds as of 1:40 p.m. ET on Tuesday and via DraftKings. Get up to a $1,000 sign-up bonus at DraftKings today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.


Athletics vs. Diamondbacks

Athletics Odds-152 [Bet Now]
D-backs Odds+130 [Bet Now]
Over/Under9 (-120/-103) [Bet Now]
Time6:10 p.m. ET

At the time of writing, no team is more popular in the betting market than Oakland. Coming off a loss in the series opener to Arizona, the 16-7 A's are attracting 79% of moneyline bettors for this evening's matchup.

With that in mind, you should get a pretty good sense of how sharps are betting the game when you hear that the earliest books opened the A's up around -165, and they're now just -150 favorites.

As they often do (continue onto the next couple games if you don't believe me), sharps disagree with the masses on how to play this one. At least that's what they've showed so far today.

A pair of Sports Insights Bet Signals — which track and record instances of sharp action by locating unusual betting market movement — have been triggered on Arizona (one at +150 and another at +139). That means that while sportsbooks have been taking on far more A's bets, the wagers coming from their more respected customers have gone the other way.

Also worth noting: The 21% of bettors on Arizona have generated a higher percentage of actual money hitting this matchup (31%), meaning they're making bigger bets — ones more likely to be made by sharps.

Sharp angle: Diamondbacks (moved from +150 to +135)
[Bet now at DraftKings and get a $1,000 sign-up bonus.]


Rays vs. Yankees

Rays Odds-127 [Bet Now]
Yankees Odds+110 [Bet Now]
Over/Under8.5 (-117/-105) [Bet Now]
Time7:05 p.m. ET

If these odds look backwards to you, well, you aren't really alone. In fact, before sharps had their say, this game was listed with almost the exact opposite lines.

Early books opened the short-handed Yankees as favorites, with the consensus up around -130. And even though the Yanks — with their 2.5-game lead — have been the popular side (60% of moneyline bets), the line has once again rushed to the unpopular one, this time swapping the favorite and underdog.

As probably the most clear display of sharp action on tonight's slate, the Rays have triggered five SI Bet Signals, and have generated 84% of the money on their 40% backing to this point.

As a result, oddsmakers have had no choice but to make some significant line adjustments.

Sharp angle: Rays (moved from +115 to -125)
[Bet now at DraftKings and get a $1,000 sign-up bonus.]


Brewers vs. Twins

Brewers Odds+140 [Bet Now]
Twins Odds-167 [Bet Now]
Over/Under9 (-117/-104) [Bet Now]
Time8:10 p.m. ET

This game hasn't seen quite the same sort of market movement, but all signs again point to a sharp backing of the underdog.

Like the A's, the Twins have eclipsed the 70% mark to this point, attracting 73% of moneyline tickets to this point. But bigger bets landing on the other side — 59% of money has hit the Brewers — have once again indicated the sharp side.

With another three SI Bet Signals triggered, the unpopular Brewers have dropped from early consensus numbers in the +150s down to +140 at DraftKings.

Sharp angle: Brewers (moved from +150 to +140)
[Bet now at DraftKings and get a $1,000 sign-up bonus.]

About the Author
Danny covers all aspects of the betting market for The Action Network and is a self-proclaimed former pro rock-paper-scissors player. He often miss the 2nd/3rd innings of Red Sox games because that's when Jeopardy is on. Once beat Mark Gallant 21-7 in ping pong.

Follow Danny Donahue @_DannytheDon on Twitter/X.

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