MLB Picks: MLB Playoff Picks for Tuesday, Oct. 17

MLB Picks: MLB Playoff Picks for Tuesday, Oct. 17

This article is part of our MLB Picks series.

MLB Best Bets Today: MLB NLCS Picks for 
Tuesday, Oct. 17

Season: 118-143-2 -53.82 units

Prior Article: 2-2 -0.40 units 

Baseball fans can get in on the MLB postseason action by signing up using the BetMGM bonus code to get a first-bet welcome offer worth up to $1,000 when using code ROTOBONUS. BetMGM is one of our favorite sportsbooks and there are plenty of other quality sportsbooks accepting credit card and PayPal.

Arizona Diamondbacks at Philadelphia Phillies  
As we saw in 2022 and now in 2023, this Phillies team is built to peak in September and the post-season. They jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held on to win at home, 5-3, in Game 1. The Phillies are going back to their second ace in Aaron Nola while the Diamondbacks are starting Merrill Kelly

Nola was much better at home versus on the road with a 3.29 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 10.0 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and 1.2 HR/9 versus a 5.43 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 1.7 HR/9. The projected lineup for the Dbacks is just 9-for-50 against Nola (.180 batting average). Nola went 5.2 innings and 7.0 innings in his two playoff starts with 12 strikeouts, two walks, nine hits and two earned runs. 

Kelly has pitched well, but still walks too many batters and it will get him in trouble against the Phillies. 

The Phillies have won seven out of their last eight. They are 11-1 in their last 12 at home and 11-2 in their last 13 playoff games at home. Nola went over five strikeouts in 12 out of 16 home starts. The Diamondbacks only had four hits in Game 1. Bryce Harper has eight walks in seven games and Trea Turner is hitting .400 in 28 at-bats in the postseason. 

RotoWire has the latest Kentucky sports betting promos with great welcome offers across the best Kentucky sportsbooks now that sports betting is live in the Bluegrass State. The DraftKings Kentucky promo code gets new customers $150 in bonus bets.

MLB Best Bets for Diamondbacks at Phillies

  • Phillies -0.5 F5 for 1 unit (DraftKings -105)
  • Dbacks UNDER 3.5 runs for 0.5 unit (DraftKings -130)
  • Bryce Harper OVER 0.5 walks for 0.5 unit (DraftKings -125)
  • Trea Turner OVER 1.5 total bases for 0.5 unit (DraftKings +105)
  • Aaron Nola OVER 5.5 strikeouts for 0.5 unit (DraftKings -120)

RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Rathburn
Known as “Rath” in the Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) community, he has helped run operations for two prominent daily fantasy sports startups. Michael has taken his insider knowledge and expertise in daily fantasy sports to the content side. Rath won the 2016 FSWA "Baseball Article of the Year, Online" award and was a finalist for the FSWA Best Baseball Series in 2011.
Offseason Deep Dives: Sean Manaea
Offseason Deep Dives: Sean Manaea
RotoWire Roundtable: 2025 Fantasy Baseball Top-300 Rankings
RotoWire Roundtable: 2025 Fantasy Baseball Top-300 Rankings
The Z Files: My New Approach to the Roundtable Rankings
The Z Files: My New Approach to the Roundtable Rankings
Farm Futures: Rookie Outfielder Targets
Farm Futures: Rookie Outfielder Targets
Offseason Deep Dives: Reynaldo Lopez
Offseason Deep Dives: Reynaldo Lopez
Offseason Deep Dives: Hunter Greene
Offseason Deep Dives: Hunter Greene