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The 2025 MLB playoffs are in full swing on Monday, Oct. 13 with both championship series in action. The Mariners, who took Game 1 of the ALCS Sunday against the Blue Jays, will try to grab a commanding 2-0 lead on the road in Monday's game. The defending World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers will begin the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday as well. The Brewers outlasted the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the NLDS on Saturday to advance to the NLCS.

If you're interested in MLB betting, you need to see what Angelo Magliocca, also known as "Amags," has lined up for Monday's contests. Magliocca, a regular contributor to The Early Edge and CBS Sports HQ, is a seasoned MLB handicapper up 123.5 units over the last three MLB seasons.

Read on for Amags' picks and analysis.

Amags' ALCS Game 2 best bets

Gilbert (6-6, 3.44 ERA) will take the ball for the third time this postseason but this will be his second start after covering the 10th and 11th innings for the Mariners in that decisive Game 5 of the ALDS. Gilbert was then asked to pitch into the 12th inning but gave up back-to-back hits to the Tigers before being lifted. That was just three days ago and he mentioned in his interview this week that he feels great and looked at those couple of innings as a sort of mid-week bullpen session, so not much has changed in his routine.

As we turn our focus towards Game 2 of the ALCS, I'm worried Seattle's righty won't have enough in the tank to pitch deep into the game, and facing a Blue Jays lineup that racked up seven hits against him back in April should prove tough. That was the only start Gilbert made this year against Toronto, but it's noteworthy that four of the 12 balls put in play that day were hit at 95+ mph exit velocity and the Blue Jays were able to work his pitch count to 102 before even finishing five innings. The Mariners may be calling on their bullpen earlier than expected here and after a rough loss in game one of the series, I expect Toronto's bats to be fighting off tough pitches and working every count. Gilbert did strike out nine batters in that last start, so I'm going to take a shot on some plus money here that he's pulled before finishing five innings instead of fading a low strikeout total where just five will beat us. Plus, saving some pitches means he can easily come back later in the series when a stellar outing could be needed even more than tonight, as they already sit up 1-0 in Toronto.

Both managers are no stranger to the intentional walk, as Seattle was tied for fourth-most walks and the Blue Jays came in just behind them at sixth in MLB. There is something noteworthy in John Schneider's approach if you watch Toronto's games and being a Yankees fan, I've been exposed to his tactics far too often. Schneider has loved walking Aaron Judge but the other guy in the MVP race may be an even bigger threat for intentional walks since he's a switch hitter. The Blue Jays love to play the matchup game and there's no doubt that if it comes down to it late in the game, Schneider would much rather put Raleigh on base - especially after that bomb he hit in Game 1 - and face righty Julio Rodriguez. Raleigh was also one of MLB's best hitters against right-handed splitters this season so I wouldn't even be surprised if the intentional walk came early against Trey Yesavage, who leans on that splitter for his strikeouts. Rodriguez struggled mightily to avoid strikeouts against right-handed splitters this year, and he had a similar fate against fastballs, both of which are in Yesavage's arsenal against righties. A word of caution here though, as betting on walks in the live markets such as At Bat and Plate Appearance will likely result in a voided bet if there is an intentional walk, so make sure you're betting these under the pregame batter prop lines.

My bet here would be the Mariners drop Game 2 with the Blue Jays bats fighting back against Gilbert after getting just two hits and one run from the offense in the first game of the series. I will say though, if the Blue Jays win, it's likely because the offense explodes rather than their pitching shutting down the M's.

Amags' NLCS Game 1 best bets

  • Shohei Ohtani Over 2.5 Hits + Runs + RBI (+105): 0.5u
  • Dodgers team total Over 4.5 runs (+105): 0.5u

Blake Snell (5-4, 2.35 ERA) faces off with the Brewers, who have yet to announce an official starting pitcher. From the sound of it, we'll likely be getting a mix of Quinn Priester, Jose Quintana and the rest of the bullpen but Milwaukee may elect to use an opener such as Aaron Ashby to really throw a wrench into things. I still like this play if that's the case as Ohtani is 2-2 vs. Ashby in his career. L.A. basically beat the Phillies in a five-game series without Ohtani's bat as he was an astounding 1-18 with nine strikeouts, thanks to facing some strong left-handed pitchers. These lefties that the Brewers will throw at him are much less daunting and Ohtani already has the success mentioned above against Ashby, as well as a pair of home runs in just six at-bats against Quintana.

Priester has been the only one of the names mentioned for Monday that has effectively handled Ohtani previously but after how putrid he was at the plate in the NLDS, I'm not sure much will stop him from getting back on the right track in this series. In order to make it back to the Fall Classic, the Dodgers will need production out of Ohtani's left-handed bat and leading off helps our hits + runs + RBI bet. If he's walked during this one, we could always snag a run out of it, so I like this angle better than the total bases but either way, I'll be rooting for a leadoff homer as I just bet it at +850 on DraftKings.

The Dodgers went past this total just one time against the Phillies but that was more a credit to the Philly pitching staff and bullpen, rather than an indictment on the L.A. offense. I think this is the series where the Dodgers get back on the right track, and there's no better time to do so than against a team utilizing a "bullpen game." I put that in quotes because we could see Priester or Quintana eat up a chunk of the innings as a regular starter; I just don't think either of them is all that good and this Dodgers offense can beat you in so many different ways. Giving them the full complement of nine at-bats here is key and prior to the series with Philly, this offense has scored 18 runs across two games against the Reds.

Tonight, they get some of their mojo back with the bats in a hostile environment as they know how important it is to get off to a good start in a series of this magnitude. Taking Over 4.5 runs here at plus odds instead of the over 3.5 at -160, although I am finding value on both. If using in a parlay, going down to Over 2.5 and pairing it with the money line or a player prop is of interest as well. The Dodgers win this one handily behind a superb outing from Snell and the bullpen, and the bats get started early and don't quit!