Happy Thursday, sports betting compadres! Hump Day was very nice for us on the diamond, as our MLB best bets went 3-1, running our record to 22-21 on the young season for a deficit of 2.88 units.
Both of our strikeout props got us to the cash-out window. Jack Flaherty threw a gem against the mighty Yankees and easily went over his K number. Tylor Megill also did the same against a scuffling Marlins lineup.
Our first 5 innings plays had a little bit of everything. Brandon Pfaadt and the Diamondbacks got us a win, the Red Sox got us a push, and the Angels gave us our only loss of the day. Let's keep the positive vibes rolling with 3 more best bets for Thursday, April 10th. Stay thirsty, my friends!
LAA at TB - 1:10 PM EDT
Yusei Kikuchi gave up a grand slam in the first inning to ruin this play for us yesterday, but I still think we're getting a nice price on the Angels today in Tampa. Jose Soriano gets the ball for LA today and he's already in fine form. The 26-year-old has a K-rate of over 30% so far this season.
Soriano has a dynamic 97 mph sinker that enables him to induce lots of weak ground ball outs. That'll be a key factor for him today against the Rays, who rank just 27th in runs scored through the first 5 innings of games. The Angels rank a more respectable 13th in that category.
Zack Littel does a good job of not walking guys, but his stuff isn't exactly electric. Pair that with the fact that the Halos have an expected batting average of .323 against him and I think LAA is a live dog.
MIN at KC - 2:10 PM EDT
Bailey Ober got smoked in his first start of the year against the Cardinals, but that lineup has done some damage against quite a few starters. The tall righty looked much better in his 2nd start of the season against the Astros and I expect him to keep improving today against the Royals.
Kansas City just hasn't been hitting well this year, even at home. The Royals rank next to last (29th) in WRC+ against righties and 26th in runs scored through the first 5 innings of games. They have hit Ober quite well, but I don't see many dangerous bats outside of Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvy Perez.
Minnesota's offense frustrates me to no end, but I'm signing up for more abuse today with the hope that they'll get to Michael Wacha. The veteran righty has a walk rate of 12.2% so far this year, so hopefully the Twins can make him pay. A home run from Ty France or Ryan Jeffers wouldn't surprise me.
MIL at COL - 3:10 PM EDT
I don't make a habit of betting on young pitchers at Coors Field, but the Brewers roster is just so much better than the Rockies. Milwaukee has three guys with expected batting averages over .300, so I think they can get young Quinn Priester some early run support against Ryan Feltner.
Even though Priester doesn't have strikeout stuff, I love that he rated out in the 95th percentile in ground ball rate last season. Keeping the ball down is the only way to have success in the thin Colorado air.
Let's take a shot with the Brew Crew in the first 5 in this one. Christian Yelich could build off his home run yesterday with another one today. Good luck, folks!