Odds and Bets: Can the Blue Jays start the second half of the season with a win?
Today’s Sports Betting Picks – Thursday, June 29, 2023
Rocket Mortgage Classic: Justin Thomas Bounce-Back
Justin Thomas had a bounce-back tournament at last weekend’s Travelers Championship. After missing the cut in back-to-back weeks at the Memorial Tournament and the U.S. Open, Thomas finished T-9 at the Travelers for his third top-10 finish this year. Thomas sits at +1400 to win this weekend’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, but he’s still a bit too inconsistent to take over the field. The better bet is taking Thomas to have a strong first round in a group that includes Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im.
Rocket Mortgage Classic best bet: Justin Thomas wins his group in three-ball betting (+157)
Giants at Blue Jays: Series Finale
The Blue Jays and Giants cap off a three-game set in Toronto on Thursday, with each team winning once. San Francisco opened the series with a 3-0 shutout victory on Tuesday, while Toronto clapped back with a 6-1 win on Wednesday.
The Giants are winners of 13 of their last 16 games and sit second in the NL West with a 45-35 record. Right-fielder Michael Conforto left Wednesday’s game after one inning due to tightness in his left hamstring. Conforto is hitting .236 with a team-high 12 home runs. Giants rookie pitcher Keaton Winn will get his first major league start on Thursday. Winn has a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings of relief work this season.
Toronto has been solid in interleague play, winning 11 of their last 14 games against National League opponents. They sit fourth in the AL East with a 44-37 record and hold the third wild-card spot. Chirs Bassit will get the start on Thursday. Bassitt has allowed 15 earned runs and four homers over 11.2 innings across his last three starts.
MLB best bet: Take Toronto -1.5 on the runline (+123)
Liberty at Aces: Battle of the Best
It’s a marquee matchup in the WNBA on Thursday as the top teams in each conference go head-to-head in Las Vegas. The Aces are riding a six-game win streak and lead the Western Conference with a 13-1 record, while the New York Liberty have won four in a row and sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 10-3 record.
The Aces have been off since Monday’s 88-80 home victory over the Indiana Fever. Las Vegas is averaging a league-high 92.8 points per game while allowing 77.4 ppg (second-best). They have been an average cover option, going an even 7-7-against the spread. Jackie Young (19.9 ppg), A’ja Wilson (19.6 ppg) and Kelsey Plum (17.1 ppg) drive the offence. Wilson is also averaging 2.2 blocks per game, second-best in the league.
New York started a three-game road trip with an 88-81 win against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. The Liberty rank second in the WNBA with 88.0 ppg and fifth in points allowed (80.0). They’re 6-6 ATS overall, including 3-3 ATS at home and 3-3 ATS on the road. Breanna Stewart ranks second in the league in points per game (22.6), second in rebounds per game (10.3) and fourth in blocks per game (1.7).
It’s worth noting that these teams have the best odds to win the WNBA championship. Las Vegas is favoured at -167, while New York is second at +135.
WNBA best bet: Liberty cover as 6.5-point underdogs (-110)