After a nice 2-0 evening and some winning NFL Draft picks, we're ready to roll. The Rays kicked the crap out of the White Sox to the tune of 14-5. The Orioles gave us a scare but ended up pulling away late to take down the Tigers.
Who's ready to start a winning streak? Here are 3 MLB Best Bets for Friday, April 28. Let's do this!
Best Bet: Rays (-144)
Tampa Bay proved last night that this number should be in the -160s instead of the -140s. We have no problem running it back with the Rays, especially since the whole lineup has been knocking the cover off the ball.
Tampa is scoring 6.49 runs per game against righties, and we're thinking they stay hot against Lucas Giolito. Paredes, Raley, and Ramirez have all homered off of Giolito in their careers.
Giolito has looked sharper of late, but his FIP is still at 4.27 for the year. Zach Eflin will get the ball for the Rays, and he's a perfect 3-0 on the season. Eflin's FIP is an impressive 2.34, which gives us a nice edge in that department. Let's lay the medium price here!
Best Bet: Braves (-130)
Getting a stud pitcher like Max Fried at this price seems like a bargain, especially since his ERA is at 0.60 and his WHIP is at 0.93. Mets starter David Peterson hasn't fared nearly as well. The young lefty has an ERA of 7.36 and a WHIP of 1.64.
What's not to like about this Atlanta offense? They rank 3rd in both OPS and home runs. They also wear out lefties to the tune of a .287 batting average and 5.35 runs scored per 9 innings.
Matt Olson (2 HR, 5 RBI) and Austin Riley (.500 BA) have hit Peterson very well in their careers, so that could bode well for us tonight. The Braves will continue to be a buy-on team for us at anything under -150.
Best Bet: Diamondbacks (-120)
We love the direction that this Arizona team is headed in. They have a ton of young talent, and their hitters put the ball in play instead of constantly swinging for the fences. The D'backs are a respectable 14-12 in the young season.
The Rockies, on the other hand, are a complete mess. They're only 8-18 so far, and they rank an abysmal 24th in runs scored per 9 innings. That's kind of shocking with a lineup that includes Kris Bryant and CJ Cron.
Arizona starter Merrill Kelly has pitched well this season, but he's endured some bad luck on his way to a 1-3 record. We think Kelly can get through this scuffling Colorado lineup two or three times without being roughed up tonight. Colorado starter Kyle Freeland may be 2-2, but his FIP is 5.64, which should mean plenty of runs for Arizona.
