Our MLB best bets got off to a rough start on Friday with a 1-2 record. The Tampa Bay Rays let us down by losing their first game of the season to the Toronto Blue Jays. The even bigger bummer of the night happened when the San Francisco Giants lost in extra innings to the lowly Detroit Tigers.
Our lone bright spot was on the Boston Red Sox, who took care of business against the Los Angeles Angels. The BoSox are playing some solid baseball right now, and we may ride them again soon.
Monday's card has several options, but we only found 2 with any value to speak of. Here are 2 MLB best bets for April 17. Let's cash these, everybody!
Best Bet: Marlins (-120) over Giants
Though they'll probably finish with a rough record this season, this Marlins team is playing some solid baseball. They're off to a respectable 8-8 start, and the pitching staff has been on point. Speaking of pitching, Miami should have a nice edge with Jesus Luzardo on the hill tonight.
Luzardo has been dominant during his first 2 starts of 2023. The young lefty is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA and a WHIP of only 1.13. Luzardo hits 98 on the gun at times and is extra tough on left-handed batters.
For the Giants, Logan Webb has really struggled to start the year. He's 0-3 with a 4.76 ERA and seems to be having some issues with his command. In Webb's 2 road starts, his ERA is an even worse 6.55.
The Marlins should be able to string together some runs against Webb. Garcia, Gurriel, and Hampson have all homered in their careers against Webb. We also like that Miami has the better overall bullpen. Let's lay the small price with the Fish.
Best Bet: Blue Jays (-115) over Astros
We don't plan to fade this Houston team often this season, but they're clearly suffering from a good ol' World Series hangover. The Stros will be just fine, but they clearly miss the bat and the leadership of Jose Altuve. Houston is only 7-9 to start the year.
Toronto, on the other hand, has played some good ball. The Jays are 10-6, and the offense ranks higher than the Astros in runs, batting average, and OPS. We also like that Biggio, Chapman, and Merrifield have all homered off of Houston starter Cristian Javier in their careers.
The Jays should also have a clear pitching advantage with Kevin Gausman on the mound. Gausman is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA so far this year. Javier is 1-0, but his ERA is currently at 4.24.
Toronto's bullpen has also performed slightly better than Houston's. Hitters are only batting .213 against Toronto relievers but .245 against Houston's relief crew. We'll lay it with the Jays and look for their offense to stay hot!
