MLB Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (4/10)
A couple of weeks into the season and baseball is a hot topic. All the talk of offense and special bats has given attention to the sport early in the season. Let's discuss some games on the schedule today and give you our best MLB bets.
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Thursday’s MLB Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Los Angeles Angels (+110) at Tampa Bay Rays (-130) | O/U 8.0 (-115/-105)
It looked like the Rays enjoyed playing home games outdoors as they started 4-2. It's been all downhill after that, and they have lost five of their last six. The pitching has been inconsistent this season, and in that span, their 4.64 ERA is 22nd.
Zack Littell is coming off a terrible start, going seven innings and allowing five earned runs. It’s not a great outing in terms of the overall numbers, but of the seven innings pitched, he retired the side in five, and four of those runs came in one inning.
Could the Angels finally make a playoff run? Going into the season, they had low expectations, but they have started well tied in the loss column with the Rangers. It might not be time to reserve the playoff tickets yet because they have been relatively average in most categories and haven't faced a team that is currently over .500.
It's another solid start to the year for Jose Soriano, who has a 3.65 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. That cement mixer sinker, coming in at 97 MPH, has been getting hitters to chase, and batters are hitting .131.
Littell could have a better outing, and Soriano should continue to pitch well. However, with the quick turnaround of a day game, we could see minimal runs.
Pick: Under 8 Runs (-105)
Toronto Blue Jays (-102) at Boston Red Sox (-130) | O/U 8.5 (-118/-102)
It's been all Blue Jays in this series as they look to get the four-game sweep in Fenway. The pitching had problems throughout last season, but it's been phenomenal this year as they are eighth in ERA (3.32). They've been one of the better contact-hitting teams and are putting pressure on opposing pitchers. They are eighth in BABIP and OBP (.335).
Chris Bassitt is coming off one of his worst seasons as a starter, where he went under .500 for the first time (minimum ten starts) and had a career-worst 4.16 ERA. Whatever he did in the offseason worked because he's getting some of the best movement on his pitches, and someone who has never had more than a 25% strikeout rate is currently at 31%.
The Red Sox bats have been hot and cold so far in this young season, and right now, they are shivering. They have just a .222 slugging and a weighted batting average of .194. The pitching hasn’t been any better, especially the bullpen, as they blew a gem pitched by Garrett Crochet and allowed the game-winning run in the 11th on Wednesday.
It's been a brutal start to Walker Buehler's stint in Boston, as he comes in with an 8.68 ERA. His problem at the start of the year is that he's living dangerously at the heart of the plate. With all his pitches dropping in MPH and movement, it's been allowing hitters to get better contact, and he's allowing at 12.1 barrel contact percentage, almost double the MLB average.
That could be trouble against a lineup that puts the ball in play and runners on base. Toronto is in a good spot to get the sweep.
Pick: Blue Jays Moneyline (-130)