MLB Betting Preview: 3 Best Bets We Love for Friday, April 5
Happy Friday, fellow sports investors! It's great to be back with you after another great 3-1 day on Thursday. The Cardinals, Tigers, and Pirates all got us to the cash-out window yesterday, but our player prop on Seth Lugo didn't fare as well.
That runs our yearly mark to 15-2, and I'll admit that this might be the best to start to a season I've had in my 23 years of doing this. As always, keep betting conservatively!
The MLB season is 6 months long and there will be many losing days along the way. However, let's enjoy this winning ride while we're on it!
Here's our best bets card for Friday, April 5. Keep in mind that 2 of these selections have start times of around 1 PM Eastern, so get those wagers made soon.
Yankees -155 (BetRivers)
This breaks my juice rule of nothing over -150 but I think this is a solid spot for the boys in pinstripes. The Yanks are off to a great start and you know they'll be fired up to make a statement in their home opener against a division rival. My numbers say this line should be in the -175 range.
You just have to like a guy like Marcus Stroman. He's only 5'7" but he's fearless on the mound, regardless of who he's facing. The 32-year-old doesn't strike out a ton of hitters, but he gets a ton of weak ground balls when his sinker is working well.
Toronto has some big boppers, but they've been in a major slump to start the 2024 campaign. The Blue Jays are hitting just .176 through their first 7 games. Look for Toronto's bats to stay ice cold and for the Yanks to pull out their first home win of the year.
Tigers -1.5 (-113) (FanDuel)
I love watching Tarik Skubal pitch, and he should dominate this weak A's lineup today in Detroit's home opener. The Seattle University alum struck out 32.9% of batters he faced in 2023, which put him in the 96th percentile of MLB in that category.
Skubal's 96 mph fastball and 88 mph slider will make even the best hitters look confused at the plate. Detroit is coming off a doubleheader, so their bullpen may be a bit taxed. That shouldn't matter with a true ace like Skubal on the hill.
Oakland just continues to struggle at the plate, as they're hitting only .198 and averaging just 2.1 runs per 9 innings. I'm playing the Tigers on the run line to avoid laying an insane amount of juice. Detroit should win this one with a score of 5-2 or so.
Brewers First 5 Innings (-118)
How about a night game to close out the Friday card? I love Freddy Peralta and I think he'll relish the opportunity to be the Brew Crew's true ace now that Corbin Burnes is no longer in town. Peralta is kind of like the right-handed version of Skubal. He has a sneaky fast 4-seamer and a slider that can make knees buckle.
A lot of folks are down on Milwaukee's offense this year, but they've looked just fine so far. Christian Yelich, Brice Turang, and rookie phenom Jackson Chourio all have the pop to give opposing pitchers headaches. Seattle's offense will come around eventually, but their hitting just .196 as a team to start the season.
I'm playing the Beer Makers in the first five because I'm not too crazy about their bullpen. Meanwhile, I think the M's have one of the top pens in the AL. Let's lay the small number in the first 5 and hope that Peralta dominates. Good luck this weekend, folks!