Vegas Play of the Day: White Sox at Dodgers

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017 | 3:40 p.m.

We’re entering the fourth season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won back-to-back titles in the 2015-2016 and 2016-17 seasons, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015.

Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Dodgers, Total Over 7.5 at minus-115: $460 to win $400: Here’s a valuable lesson for everyone handicapping baseball: On days when the betting board is loaded with morning and afternoon games, don’t wait until nearly 4 p.m. to make your selections. There won’t be much to wager on.

With that said, there’s some value in the total in the Dodgers-White Sox night game.

Carlos Rodon has been a bright spot recently for the White Sox as they close their losing season, lowering his earned run average from 6.29 to 4.24 in his last four starts.

Over a three-start stretch he fanned 9, 11 and 9 batters, and in the fourth start surrendered two runs in eight innings. Those outings have come against playoff teams in the Astros, Red Sox, Cubs and Indians.

Despite all this, Rodon seems overdue for a bad start.

Remember, his earned run average was brutally bad until recently, and you can’t ignore those poor outings. The Dodgers are hand-down baseball’s best team at 50 games over .500 and should be able to score to push the total over. Either way, it’s a good value wager with just a few games available to handicap.

Current Standings: Granger (4-5, $11,217), Keefer (5-2-1, $11,095), Grimala (2-1, $10,595), Brewer (4-5, $8,740)

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21