Happy Saturday, MLB lovers! It's a fabulous day for sports betting, as we have a loaded MLB slate, the Final Four in college hoops, and a nice UFC Fight Night card for later on.
Check out my 3 MLB best bets to get your Saturday off on the right foot. Let's get into the card for April 5th. Best of luck, my friends.
AZ at WSH - 4:05 PM EDT
How about a little day baseball to kick off our Saturday? If the books keep wanting to throw out reasonable prices on one of the best offenses in baseball, I'll keep buying. It's almost like they've forgotten that Arizona was one of the most powerful lineups in 2024.
No, I'm not too crazy about backing Eduardo Rodriguez, but let's not forget that he was an above-average lefty a couple of years ago for Detroit. He didn't look great last season, but I think most of that was because he wasn't 100% healthy.
I do rate Nats starter Mitchell Parker as a touch better than E-Rod at this stage in his career. Even still, I like the D'Backs bullpen quite a bit more, and their offensive advantages make this price too good to pass up.
NYY at PIT- 4:05 PM EDT
Marcus Stroman scares the living daylights out of me at times, but the veteran righty just keeps finding ways to get big league hitters out. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he gets enough movement to miss lots of barrels.
As scary as Stroman can be, he's like a birthday present compared to Bailey Falter. For full disclosure, I have Stroman rated 15 slots higher than Falter, who often struggles to keep the ball on the ground. That'll be a problem against Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, and Jazz Chisholm.
I know it's early, but I've been impressed by how much better the Yankees' bullpen has performed. New York ranks 8th in reliever K minus BB rate, while the Pirates rank just 24th. Lay the reasonable price with the Boys in Pinstripes.
TOR at NYM - 7:10 PM EDT
Welp, we might as well take a stab with an underdog before we get busy watching college hoops and UFC Fight Night. I'm not a big Chris Bassitt fan, but I trust him a heck of a lot more than I do Griffin Canning.
Canning's K-rate is usually one of the lowest in the league, and last season was no different, as he finished in the 11th percentile. His walk rate and groundball rate were also concerning. I look for Vlad Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette to tee off on Canning in this one.
Speaking of offense, Toronto is in much better current form than the Mets. The Blue Jays rank 5th in WRC+ this season, while the Mets rank just 20th. Toronto was also the 9th-best offense against righties last season, while the Mets were 11th. Give me the plus money on the Jays!