Travis Kelce: a great football player, not an amazing pitcher.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce might want to stick to his day job.
The NFL star has plenty to offer on the gridiron. However, an errant first pitch at the Cleveland Guardians’ Friday afternoon tilt against the Seattle Mariners didn’t inspire much confidence in a baseball career.
Kelce hilariously skipped the ball wide left of the catcher as the announcer and crowd god a really good laugh out of Kelce’s first pitch.
Of course, very, very few people are ever good at first pitches, so Kelce certainly joins good company on his failed attempt to reach the catcher.
Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber was there to give Kelce a big hug after he threw the pitch from the plate.
The Westlake, Ohio, native may play professional football in Kansas City, but he clearly still has love for his home state. Ohio proudly claims Kelce, but they may not want him joining the Guardians anytime soon.
Kelce’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a former baseball standout, clearly enjoyed watching his pal whiff the pitch.
Bob Costas wasn’t the first and probably won’t be the last to mix up Biebers.
Look, there’s a lotgoing on inpostseason baseball right now, and being on the call for games is no easy feat. So perhaps we can forgive Bob Costas for his silly blunder Friday during the Yankees-Guardians Game 2 matchup.
Cleveland right-hander Shane Bieber started the game for the Guardians. Pop star Justin Bieber decidedly did not.
Shane Bieber was on the mound for a little more than five innings, and while reliever Trevor Stephan was warming up, Costas noted the starter’s pitch count. Except he accidentally called Shane “Justin.” Twice!
Costas wasn’t the first to accidentally mix up Shane and Justin Bieber, and he probably won’t be the last. But even the veteran broadcaster couldn’t believe this blunder and later corrected himself while seemingly in disbelief.
The Cleveland Indians will take on the Minnesota Twins tonight as they start their four-game series, stream all your MLB action here!
The Cleveland Indians (4-2) will take on the Minnesota Twins (4-1) in their first game of a four-game series at Target Field in Minnesota, Minneapolis. The Indians have won three of their last four, allowing only four or fewer runs in all six games of the season. Meanwhile, the Twins are on a three-game winning streak looking for their fourth tonight against a tough Indians team.
Jose Berrios will get the nod for the Twins and Shane Bieber will take the mound for the Indians tonight!
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds last updated Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Cleveland Indians vs. Minnesota Twins
Run total: 8.5 (Over: -110, Under -110)
Run Spread: Indians -1.5, -200 / Twins +1.5, +165
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Previewing Friday’s Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Indians matchup, with MLB betting predictions, picks and best bets.
The Kansas City Royals visit the division rival Cleveland Indians Friday at Progressive Field for a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch. We analyze the Royals-Indians MLB betting odds and lines, with betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Royals at Indians: Projected starting pitchers
LHP Danny Duffy vs. RHP Shane Bieber
Duffy was 7-6 with a 4.34 ERA, 115 K’s and 1.31 WHIP in 2019.
Duffy went 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA across two starts vs. Cleveland in 2019.
The southpaw posted a 5-5 record with a 4.99 ERA and allowed 14 homers in 83 innings across 15 evening starts last season.
Bieber emerged as the Indians’ ace in 2019, registering a 15-8 record, 3.28 ERA and 259 strikeouts with a 1.05 WHIP in 34 appearances (33 starts).
Bieber’s 259 strikeouts ranked third in the majors, while he was 15th in ERA.
Bieber won his only decision vs. Kansas City but posted a marginal 4.50 ERA and .279 opponent batting average in three starts across 18 innings.
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C Cam Gallagher has been designated for the COVID-19 injured list after testing positive, and his return date is unclear.
Indians
CF Delino DeShields is also on the 10-day injured list, as the team wants him to have extra time to recover from his bout with coronavirus. OFs Jordan Luplow (back) and Tyler Naquin (toe) are questionable for the opener.
Royals at Indians: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Wednesday at 7 a.m. ET.
AVOID. The Indians (-209) should get off on the right foot with their ace on the hill, but risking more than two times your potential return is not a recommended strategy, especially for Game 1. You’re better off looking to the run line.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Indians (-209) to win straight up nets a return of just $4.78 if they do so.
Play the INDIANS (-1.5, -110) on the run line, as they look to start out victorious on their home field. While there will not be any fans in the stands at Progressive Field to spur them on, the familiarity of their home park combined with an inferior opponent should mean a successful opener for the Tribe. The Royals are a dismal 9-27 in their past 36 trips to Cleveland.
UNDER 8.5 (-110) is the recommended play, although it will be a close shave. The Under has hit in four of the previous five head-to-head meetings in Northeast Ohio, and with the strangeness of the COVID-19 late start and rust, look for plenty of Under results early on until teams get their sea legs.
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Previewing the American League Cy Young Award odds, with MLB betting odds, picks and best bets
Ordinarily, I avoid taking the low-return picks when youāre taking one player against the field, but the race for the 2020 American League Cy Young AwardĀ got interesting in a hurry with preseason injuries.
As a result, the options for picking the Cy Young winner have slimmed down with three weeks to go until the season’s first pitch.
As of 5 p.m. ET Sunday, March 8, BetMGM has 12 other pitchers with odds of less than +3000:
Gerrit Cole (+265)
Justin Verlander (+600)
Chris Sale (+650)
Mike Clevinger (+1000)
Blake Snell; Charlie Morton (+1100)
Shane Bieber (+1600)
Tyler Glasnow; Carlos Carrasco (+2000)
Lucas Giolito; Zach Grienke; Corey Kluber (+2500)
American League Cy Young: Breaking down the field
The field is going to shift like a pendulum with spring training injuries to Sale and Snell. Both are expected to miss significant time, which will likely take them out of the running.
And Sunday afternoon, the Astros pulled Verlander after two innings of a scheduled four-inning start due to triceps soreness. There is no word on whether Verlander could miss any time, but it’s yet another injury to keep an eye on.
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One thing that is crystal clear is that BetMGM has a lot of faith in the Tampa Bay starting rotation. Three of the top eight plays are Rays (Snell, Morton and Glasnow). I donāt share that opinion because theyāre reaching on expectation for both Snell (injured) and Glasnow (unproven). The club is formidable, but that prevents the Rays from relying on one or two guys and occasionally pushing them up in the rotation when scheduled off days or rainouts bring an aceās start time back up.
Clevinger and Bieber are another tandem that are intriguing, but the Indians may not provide the consistent run support needed to post the numbers that make a player stand out in the Cy Young race.
Astros ace Justin Verlander is off to a shaky start this spring. (Photo Credit: Troy Taormina – USA TODAY Sports)
Verlander remains a dominant pitcher and is coming off a 21-win, 300-strikeout year and was a whopping 7.8 games above replacement. But, at age 37, the wall for starting pitchers with his mileage numbers is getting closer (as evidenced by Sunday’s news).
But, if youāre betting on this race, you have to go with Cole, despite the small return on investment. He was a good in Pittsburgh but became elite when he went to Houston before the 2018 season. In two seasons with the Astros, Cole made 65 starts and posted a record of 35-10 with 602 strikeouts in 412 2/3 innings, a 0.962 WHIP and a 2.68 ERA. He now goes to the Yankees where he can expect a lot of run support every start and get the wins to match or surpass what he did with the Astros. New York has eyes on the Yankees 24/7 and he has the chance to be the big man in the Big Apple.
THE BET: Take Cole and donāt look back. If youāre looking for a long shot to drop a few bucks on, consider Minnesotaās Jose Berrios (+4000). He is the staff ace of a team capable of winning 100 games again this year. When he is on his game, he can be dominant. Consistency is all thatās missing and he will be playing from ahead. Donāt break the bank on him, but, at +4000, you donāt have to.
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