Cash That Ticket - August 19th 2026

Munaf Manji and Dave Essler talk betting for Wednesday. Munaf Manji and Dave Essler open their Wednesday, August 19 episode with a full betting agenda, running through a day baseball card before settling into five marquee night games and closing with a detailed look at the Baltimore Ravens win total for the coming NFL season. The show opens at 0:10 with a recap of Tuesday, where a best bet on the Astros fell short as the club managed only one run, while a late addition on the Blue Jays cashed after the market spent the afternoon leaning that direction. The Brewers also delivered a 22 run outburst on a first team total over, and both hosts agree the size of the margin does not change the value of the win. From there the guys turn to Wednesday's slate, beginning at 2:30 with Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins visiting Aaron Nola and the Phillies in an NL East matchup with the total set at eight and a half. Essler leans toward the over given a Phillies lineup that has seen plenty of Alcantara over the years, while Manji reinforces the pick by noting the first two games of this series both cleared ten combined runs and Miami carries one of the stronger road over rates in the league this season. At 4:44 the focus shifts to the Yankees and Orioles, Will Warren opposing Chris Bassitt, where the hosts back the over behind a red hot Bassitt since returning from the injured list and a notable gap in Warren's ERA between day games and night games. At 7:47 the crew previews Logan Gilbert and the Mariners against Dustin May and the Brewers, leaning toward a first five under behind Gilbert's strong seasonal trend in that split and questions about whether Milwaukee's offense stays hot after its outburst the night before. At 10:52 the Nationals and Rangers get a look, Cade Cavalli opposing Kumar Rocker, with both hosts siding with Washington as an underdog given Rocker's recent decline and a soft feeling total that Manji suggests attacking through a Nationals team total over. At 13:34 the Astros and Angels close out the marquee card, Ethan Pecko making his first major league start for Houston against Walbert Urena and the Angels, with both hosts landing firmly on the Angels given the price attached to an unproven starter and Urena's strong personal history against this Astros lineup. Around 16:16 the guys touch on a handful of additional angles, including an under lean in Cincinnati between the Reds and Cardinals and a first five lean on Cleveland behind one of the more reliable arms on the schedule this season. At 18:10 the show pivots to football, and the hosts spend real time on Baltimore's win total of eleven and a half following an 8 and 9 season that kept the Ravens out of the playoffs. They discuss the arrival of new head coach Jesse Minter, the free agent addition of pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, and a schedule that both hosts believe sets up favorably through the middle of the season and into a division heavy closing stretch. Essler walks through the week by week matchups in detail, while Manji highlights Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, and Mark Andrews as offensive pieces who could push the Ravens toward the higher end of their projected win range. Both hosts ultimately back the over on Baltimore, agreeing that a first year coaching staff typically buys the roster some patience regardless of immediate results. The episode closes with the day's best bets, a first five under between the Blue Jays and Rays built around a dominant WHIP from Tampa Bay's starter and a resurgent veteran arm for Toronto, and a Nationals team total over built around a Rangers starter who has struggled both at home and after dark in his recent outings. The hosts wrap by previewing tomorrow's show, which covers the final NFL win total of their series on the Los Angeles Rams alongside a lighter Thursday baseball slate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices