Twenty days have passed since the 2022 Major League Baseball returned from a long offseason and league-wide lockout. The early action has not disappointed.
The Toronto Blue Jays rallied late Tuesday night to beat the Boston Red Sox in a dramatic, 10-inning thriller. The New York Mets etched yet another win against the St. Louis Cardinals, bringing them to a league-best 14-5 record.
With respect to Wednesday, these are the best MLB games to bet from a packed schedule.
Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 vs Arizona Diamondbacks
The Dodgers and Diamondbacks split the first two games in their series evenly. However, it would be misleading to suggest the teams are evenly matched. L.A. has far more star power and overall talent, especially in its bullpen, compared to a Diamondbacks team that is still rebuilding and looking to climb out of the basement in the National League West.
Julio Urias will get the start for the Dodgers, and if anything can be said about the 25-year-old ace, it is that he is a winner, as his 20-3 record in 2021 suggests.
Arizona won last night’s affair via strong defense and an eighth-inning two-run home run, but they would be hard-pressed to take a series against their superior division rivals.
After all, it is no coincidence that they have the worst batting average (.182) in the entire league. Good luck to them trying to defeat the incredible Dodgers pitchers.
Cleveland Guardians vs Los Angeles Angels -1.5
The Angels have won three straight games, including two against this Guardians team. Mike Trout and company are showing very promising signs. The team is 11-7 overall and has won eight of its last 11, and tonight, they will have renowned superstar Shohei Ohtani on the mound.
The Japanese phenom has not been electric at the plate like he was last season, nor did he have a great start to his pitching campaign, but a recent six-inning, one-hit shutout against the Houston Astros proves that he is rounding back into shape.
The Guardians have lost five straight games and fallen to 7-10 after they too produced a promising start to their year. They have been outscored 26-8 across this five-game stretch.
They need to improve on both sides, but especially the offense— if anything, will give them hope of rebounding against L.A.; it is that they still rank sixth in batting average and 10th in total scoring.
Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees -1.5
Completing the sweep of favorites is the Yankees at -1.5; the pinstripers took game one in their series against the O’s 12-8 via Anthony Rizzo’s first career three-home-run game.
Although it would be unrealistic to predict an encore, the team as a whole should be able to secure a few blasts off the unimpressive Tyler Wells, who is getting the start for Baltimore.
New York has been hitting the ball better lately and has climbed to third in home runs. This gives them explosive ability and can rescue— or blow a game open— at the quickest of moments.
