Mets-Braves doubleheader best bets, MLB picks: Can Matt Olson continue to break out of his slump?

Although Monday technically gives us the final two games of the 2024 regular season, they are technically postseason games. We have Two teams compete and someone else's playoff life is on the line. The Mets visit the Braves for two games. If either team wins the doubleheader, the winner will advance to the playoffs along with the Diamondbacks. If there is a split, both Monday opponents will make the playoffs while the D-Backs will be sent home for the winter.

Since it feels like the playoffs, let's get some action. I already have a game pick and total tipped out for subscribers at SportsLine, but we can grab some free props here.

There are no reports yet for the second game of the doubleheader, and for good reason. Whichever team wins the first game will win it back significantly for game 2. For the hardcore players out there, it would be wise to check the lines immediately after the end of the first game and pounce on the losing team for game 2. I expect there's a lot of juice on it, so maybe it would be better to play the run line. Just remember that.

These moves only apply to the first game.

Matt Olson, over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-115)

2024 was a big bad year for Olson, but he made up for it over time. In his last 19 games, he hit .391/.512/.656 with five doubles, four home runs, 20 RBI and 10 runs scored. His 25 hits combined with the runs and RBI here means he's averaging nearly three hits plus runs plus RBI per game, and we only need two to hit that mainstay.

Additionally, Mets starter Tylor Megill can be vulnerable to being knocked over by lefties. The last time these two faced each other in a game was on July 27 and Olson hit a home run. If he does the same on Monday, we'll be home.

I expect that Hügelbach will throw pretty well on Monday, but that doesn't mean he'll have a huge number of strikeouts, and I love the plus money on this pitch. In any case, a lot of things could go wrong before he reached six strikeouts.

The Mets can be difficult to pull off as a team at times. This season they were in the middle of the pack in terms of strikeout rate. They didn't see thresholdsbach until September 24th and he gave up just one run in seven innings but still only had four strikeouts. In fact, he's only scored 20 total in his last five starts and over 5.5 only once in that span (it was exactly six).

Additionally, I love that the Mets only saw him less than a week ago. The more hitters see a pitcher's material, the easier it is to get an overview of it. If they had only struck out four times in seven innings last time and saw him again in the exact same stadium, it's hard to believe he would miss many more batters.