Baseball season is underway, and the weather is getting warmer. Life is good. I'll be here once a week to provide you with the best MLB picks & predictions across the day. Baseball is the best sport to get specific with your bets, and there are plenty of angles to attack any given game, with almost every day offering a loaded slate of opportunities. It's the best time of year.
It has not been the best start to the season, but there’s only one direction to go. Here are the best MLB picks & predictions for Friday, April 10th.
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Friday's Best MLB Picks & Predictions
Last Time: 1-2 | This Season: 1-5
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies
After Michael Soroka ended up in Arizona after finishing last season strong for the Chicago Cubs, it was a question of whether he would pick up where he left off. So far, he has. The 6-foot-5 righty has been slinging it, allowing one run on eight hits across 10 innings early. Jesus Luzardo, meanwhile, was whalloped in his opening start, allowing two home runs and six runs to Texas. He bounced back well against Colorado, and I'll give him credit for that in Denver, but there are question marks around his game right now.
The Diamondbacks have also handled southpaws well this season, and a lot of their lineup is familiar with Luzardo's game. For example, Ketel Marte is 4-for-9 with a double off the southpaw in his career. Arizona's bullpen is a question mark, but their ERA is pulled down by one outlier game, and Philadelphia isn't too far ahead of them. The Phillies are big favorites today, but I expect this game to be more of a toss-up if Soroka can keep Philadelphia honest while Arizona gets on Luzardo early.
Pick: Diamondbacks Moneyline (+158 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners
Working backwards, the Astros’ bullpen has seriously struggled this season. No team has a lower ERA from their relievers than the Astros, sitting at 7.09 on the year across 53.1 innings. Tatsuya Imai gets the nod for Houston, who has been fine to start his MLB career, but nothing that jumps off the page, allowing four runs in his first 2.2 innings, followed by a scoreless effort over 5.2 innings against the Athletics. I am comfortable saying the Mariners’ offense is better than the Athletics’ offense, especially at home in a divisional matchup.
Emerson Hancock gets the nod for Seattle, and he's been electric in the early days of the season, allowing one run across 12.2 innings with opponents hitting just .146 off him over his two starts. Besides Jose Altuve, Astros starters haven't exactly done well against Hancock. Considering Seattle has the third-best bullpen so far, the Mariners will always be in this game, and it can very well get out of hand for Houston.
Pick: Mariners -1.5 (+153 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Making his first start of the season today for Toronto is Patrick Corbin. He ended last season with a 4.40 ERA in 30 starts, but finished with a solid 3.62 ERA in his last seven starts. Only Victor Caratini has hit well off Corbin in the Twins lineup, and Minnesota has fared worse versus southpaws so far this year.
Simeon Woods Richardson has only allowed three runs in his first start over 11.2 innings and is capable of limiting this Blue Jays lineup. Simply put, the total here is too high. Toronto ranks 26th in runs per game so far, while Minnesota takes a step back away from home offensively. I'm on the under here.
Pick: Under 9.0 Runs (-110 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
