A cross-sport parlay for a busy Monday

This is the most beautiful time of the year on the sports calendar. There is so much going on that we tried to commission a second Bark Bets for today. No luck, so get ready for quite a Monday.

Cross-Sport Parlay for NFL and MLB tonight

Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers

Denver: 2-3 overall, 1-4 ATS, 1-4 overs Los Angeles: 3-2 overall, 4-1 ATS, 3-2 overs

The first discrepancy that pops up is the difference in against the spread (ATS) rates for these two AFC West teams. Russell Wilson and the Broncos have covered just once this season en route to a disappointing 2-3 start. It's felt like a relatively quiet season for Justin Herbert and the Chargers thus far, but they're 4-1 ATS.

The Broncos are 4-1 to the under this season thanks to an anemic offense that has struggled to move the ball paired with an elite defense powered by a shutdown secondary. It's a natural pairing for an under team.

If ever a time for Russell Wilson and this offense to figure things out, it would be against this Los Angeles defense. The Chargers have allowed opponents to average 27.2 points per game, good for second-most in the NFL. They're also allowing 6.1 yards per play, which is the fourth-highest in the league. 

It's been Los Angeles' run defense that has really had issues, allowing 130.4 rush yards per game and 5.8 yards per rush. The Chargers have seen three straight 100-yard rushers, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire finished with 74 on the ground in Week 2 against them while Josh Jacobs finished with 57.

We're a bit wary of the spread and over/under in this game, but this vulnerability on the ground is what sticks out to us. Welcome to our night, Melvin Gordon. In the first game without Javonte Williams, Gordon took 15 carries for 54 yards. Poor efficiency, but terrific volume.

Gordon's over/under is set at 54.5 yards tonight, a number we're comfortable betting. In two games against Los Angeles last year, Gordon averaged 63 rushing yards.

Leg 1: Melvin Gordon over 54.5 rushing yards (-110 FD)

Cleveland Guardians @ New York Yankees

Cleveland's starter: Aaron Civale (4.92 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 98 Ks in 97 IP) New York's starter: Jameson Taillon (3.91 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 151 Ks in 177.1 IP)

We have a decisive fifth game in the ALDS, and with a postponement altering the schedule, both teams are forced to turn to their fourth starters this evening. Taillon made a brief appearance in Game 2, allowing all three batters he faced to reach base in the 10th inning, which led to the loss being handed down to him. Civale has yet to pitch in this series, and today marks his first start in 12 days.

Tonight has the feel of a bullpen game, with both Civale and Taillon likely on short leashes should things go awry. Strictly from a reliever standpoint, Cleveland has the edge tonight as both their setup pitchers, Trevor Stephan and James Karinchak, along with closer Emmanuel Clase, haven't pitched since Game 2 on Friday. The same can't be said for New York, who have worked their relievers hard this series. We may see Yankees starter Nestor Cortes out of the pen tonight; the lefty pitched Friday but will be available if needed.

We're excited to take in the game, and the number of arms deployed tonight has us favoring the bats a bit. This series has seen run totals of five, six, 11, and six, so we're moving the total down on FanDuel to over 5.5 in tonight's win or go home.

Leg 2: Over 5.5 runs (-250 FD)

Monday Parlay: Melvin Gordon over 54.5 yards rushing & Over 5.5 runs in CLE-NYY (+167 FD)

In the news ...

Upsets galore: Padres-Phillies to meet in the NLCS — The NLDS saw both underdogs take the series in four games, setting up a Philadelphia-San Diego NLCS. Both teams were underdogs in the Wild Card round and represent a bit of a Cinderella story out of the National League. Both teams are hot at the right time, and when we studied the matchup this morning, both teams have advantages. The Philadelphia offense is far more lethal in our eyes, but San Diego has the edge on the mound. Ultimately, we're backing the bats in this series and betting on Philly to advance to the World Series at +100.

Weekend in football recap, including Tennessee over Alabama and the two New York NFL teams — The game of the weekend heading into Saturday was Tennessee hosting Alabama, and it did not disappoint. No. 6 Tennessee took down the visiting Crimson Tide (No. 3) 52-49 on a last-second field goal. The Volunteers are now ranked third in the nation and are +1600 to win the Championship, the sixth-best odds. Meanwhile, in the professional ranks, the Giants and Jets continue to surprise. The Giants beat the Ravens and the Jets blew out the Packers, two results we frankly did not see coming. Just like that, the Giants are 5-1 and the Jets 4-2. The Jets are +230 to make the playoffs while the Giants are -225.

NBA season begins tomorrow — Just like that, we're about to have all four major leagues in action. The NBA regular season tips off tomorrow with the 76ers vs. Celtics and Lakers vs. Warriors. The two teams tomorrow who met in last year's NBA Finals are understandably the favorites to win it all this season. Both Boston and Golden State are +600 to win the 2023 championship, the same odds as the Clippers. We've been breaking down the NBA division-by-division, so be sure to dig into how each team is looking as we welcome in a new season.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll