Mets and Betts highlight best bets for NLCS Game 3

After the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets split the two games in L.A., the NLCS shifts to Queens for Game 3 on Wednesday night. Looking ahead to the pivotal matchup, here are our two favorite bets for Game 3. 

Mets -1.5 (+210 DraftKings)

The Mets magic refuses to die down. New York jumped all over Los Angeles early in Game 2 and cruised to a 7-3 victory, and we're expecting a similar result in Game 3. The Mets are 6-3 through nine playoff games, and five of those six wins came by more than one run. That's been a theme for this group since the All-Star break.

A big reason why we like the -1.5 alternate line instead of the moneyline is Walker Buehler's volatility on the mound. Buehler has given up at least three earned runs in 11 of his 17 starts this season, and he surrendered seven hits and six earned runs in his first playoff start against the San Diego Padres. This Mets lineup feeds off each other and the raucous home crowd at Citi Field. If New York gets rolling early, it could put up a big number against Buehler and the Dodgers. 

Mookie Betts over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs (-130 DK)

Betts doesn't have strong numbers this postseason. The Dodgers outfielder is batting just .192 with six strikeouts through seven games, and he's coming off a poor performance in Game 2 in which he went 0-4 with three Ks. That's giving us some value on his hits + runs + RBIs line, so we'll gladly buy the dip.

Despite his low batting average in the playoffs, Betts is averaging 2.4 hits + runs + RBIs per game. He leads the team with six runs and ranks second with six RBIs this postseason. This is just a matter of how often he can reach base, and we like his chances against Luis Severino. In 40 career plate appearances against Severino, Betts is batting .324 and slugging .529 with a home run, four doubles and six walks.