Today's Free Sports Picks, Best Bets, Parlays and More
The calendar turns to the final day of September, but the sports betting action is anything but quiet.
Wednesday brings MLB Wild Card baseball, WNBA playoff basketball, NHL action, UEFA Women's Champions League soccer, tennis, college sports and more. With postseason pressure increasing in several sports, today's card offers plenty of opportunities for bettors looking for sides, totals, props and combination plays.
As always, shop for the best number before placing a wager. Lines can move significantly throughout the day, particularly during playoff action.
MLB Wild Card Picks
The MLB postseason takes center stage today with four Wild Card matchups.
Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves
Philadelphia sends Cristopher Sánchez to the mound against Atlanta's Tyler Mahle. Sánchez enters with an excellent 18-7 record and a 2.91 ERA.
Free Pick: Phillies Moneyline
Philadelphia's starting-pitching edge makes the Phillies an attractive side. Sánchez has been one of the more reliable starters on today's board, and that gives Philadelphia a strong foundation in a postseason elimination environment.
Best Bet: Phillies ML
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros
Sean Burke gets the start for Chicago against Houston's Hunter Brown.
Brown has posted a 3.19 ERA, while Burke enters with a 3.34 ERA, making this a much tighter pitching matchup than the records of the two teams might suggest.
Free Pick: Under
Postseason baseball can become extremely dependent on pitching, bullpen management and situational hitting. With two quality starters on the mound, the total deserves attention.
Best Bet: First Five Innings Under
Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
This is arguably the marquee matchup of the Wild Card slate.
Boston counters with Sonny Gray, who enters with an impressive 18-5 record and 2.72 ERA. New York answers with Max Fried, who has a 2.80 ERA and 0.99 WHIP.
Free Pick: Under
This is a spot where the pitching matchup deserves more attention than the names on the uniforms. Two experienced starters capable of limiting damage could make the Under attractive if the market gives bettors a reasonable number.
Best Bet: First Five Under
Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres
The late game sends the Cubs to San Diego, with Nick Pivetta scheduled for the Padres.
Free Pick: Padres Moneyline
Home-field advantage combined with San Diego's pitching setup makes the Padres an interesting late-night side.
Best Bet: Padres ML
WNBA Playoff Picks
The WNBA postseason continues with two first-round games tonight.
Atlanta Dream at Washington Mystics
Atlanta enters as a road favorite, with the market currently showing the Dream around -3.5 to -4.5 depending on the sportsbook.
Free Pick: Atlanta Dream -3.5
Atlanta's ability to generate offense while applying pressure defensively makes the Dream the preferred side.
Best Bet: Dream -3.5
For bettors looking at the total, the current number around 165.5 creates an interesting alternative.
Total Lean: Over 165.5
Golden State Valkyries at Dallas Wings
Golden State enters Dallas with the market making the Valkyries approximately a 4.5-point favorite.
Golden State won the opening game of the series and now has an opportunity to put substantial pressure on Dallas.
Free Pick: Golden State -4.5
The Valkyries' depth and defensive intensity give them the preferred side in this matchup.
Best Bet: Golden State -4.5
Soccer Picks
The UEFA Women's Champions League provides another strong betting opportunity today.
Roma Women vs. Barcelona Women
Barcelona enters this matchup as a massive favorite in the available moneyline market.
Free Pick: Barcelona Women Moneyline
For bettors looking for a more aggressive option, Barcelona on the handicap is worth considering rather than paying an extremely expensive moneyline price.
Best Bet: Barcelona to Win
Bayern Munich Women vs. Benfica Women
Bayern Munich also enters as one of the stronger sides on today's European soccer schedule.
Free Pick: Bayern Munich Women Moneyline
For combination bettors, Bayern can be considered as one of the soccer legs in a larger parlay.
NHL Picks
The NHL season is getting underway, with Pittsburgh visiting Philadelphia and Los Angeles traveling to Colorado among today's games.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers
Free Pick: Philadelphia Flyers Moneyline
Philadelphia is the preferred side in this matchup. The market has the Flyers favored, and the home-ice setting adds another advantage.
Best Bet: Flyers ML
Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche
Free Pick: Colorado Avalanche Moneyline
Colorado at home is the preferred side in the late NHL matchup.
Best Bet: Avalanche ML
Tennis
ATP and WTA action continues in Beijing and Tokyo, giving bettors another opportunity to find individual-match value.
Tennis is particularly important for disciplined bettors because there are often numerous markets available, including moneylines, game spreads and totals.
Best Tennis Strategy: Shop the moneyline and game handicap rather than automatically taking the shortest-priced favorite.
Player form, surface, recent workload and travel should all be considered before betting.
Today's Best Bets
After looking across the major sports on today's schedule, these are the free plays that stand out:
Best Bet of the Day: Philadelphia Phillies Moneyline
Best Favorite: Barcelona Women Moneyline
Best Underdog: Philadelphia Phillies
Best WNBA Bet: Golden State -4.5
Best NHL Bet: Philadelphia Flyers Moneyline
Best Total: Boston/New York Under
Today's Parlay
For bettors looking for a multi-leg play, consider:
Phillies ML + Atlanta Dream ML + Golden State ML + Colorado Avalanche ML
This is an aggressive combination, so the wager should be kept smaller than a normal straight bet.
Parlays offer a larger potential payout, but every additional leg increases the number of ways a ticket can lose.
A More Conservative Parlay
For bettors who prefer to reduce some of the volatility:
Phillies ML + Barcelona Women ML + Colorado Avalanche ML
Three strong sides provide a cleaner structure than trying to combine a large number of selections.
Again, this should be treated as a small-stake wager rather than a primary bankroll play.
Why a Procappers Subscription Is a Great Deal
Free picks are a great way to get a look at the type of analysis available from Procappers, but serious sports bettors know that having access to a larger selection of expert picks can provide considerably more information when building a daily card.
A Procappers subscription gives bettors access to premium selections and expert handicapping across the sports they follow, allowing subscribers to spend less time searching for information and more time concentrating on the wagers that fit their own betting strategy.
Instead of relying on a single free selection, subscribers can compare different handicappers, sports and betting opportunities.
The goal isn't to bet everything. The goal is to have more quality information available before deciding what deserves your money.
Procappers offers both monthly and annual subscription options, making it possible to choose the plan that fits your betting schedule.
And remember the current signup promotion:
GET 20 FREE CREDITS WHEN YOU SIGN UP.
If you're betting regularly, access to premium picks can make a subscription a useful research tool throughout the season rather than something you use for only one game or one weekend.
Bankroll Management: The Most Important Bet You Make
Even the best handicap in the world cannot protect a bettor from poor bankroll management.
The objective should always be to protect your betting capital so that one bad day does not destroy your ability to continue betting tomorrow.
A simple approach is to establish a unit size before placing any wagers.
For example, if your bankroll is $1,000, you might designate $10 as one unit.
A standard straight wager could then be one unit, while particularly strong positions might receive 1.5 or 2 units depending on your personal strategy.
Parlays should generally receive smaller stakes because of their higher variance.
Never increase your wager simply because you lost the previous bet.
Chasing losses is one of the fastest ways to turn a normal losing night into a major bankroll problem.
Likewise, don't dramatically increase your bet size after a winning streak. Winning streaks happen, but they don't guarantee that the next wager will win.
The most important principles are simple:
Set a bankroll.
Establish a consistent unit size.
Avoid chasing losses.
Keep parlays and high-risk wagers small.
Shop for the best available line.
Track every wager.
Bet only money you can afford to lose.
Sports betting should be approached as a long-term numbers game, not as a way to recover money immediately.
Final Word
Wednesday's schedule offers opportunities across MLB, WNBA, NHL, soccer, tennis and more, with the MLB Wild Card games providing the centerpiece of the card.
Our free selections give you a starting point, but the real advantage comes from having access to deeper handicapping, additional selections and expert analysis.
Want more?
Check out www.Procappers.com premium subscriptions, and find the picks that fit your betting strategy.
GET 20 FREE CREDITS WHEN YOU SIGN UP.
Bet responsibly, manage your bankroll and never risk more than you can afford to lose.