Major League Baseball returns for yet another day in its nonstop regular season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers joined the New York Yankees as the only teams with 30 wins thus far, while the latter also signed former three-time All-Star Matt Carpenter to bolster its infield.
Here are the best MLB bets for Friday.
Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers
The Guardians have lost three straight and dropped the first contest against the Tigers. But, do not be fooled— this team has sneaky power, making them a great upset pick against stronger teams but also allowing them to usually handle lesser opponents.
Cleveland is 18-23 this season and is settling back into its usual lineup now that Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor are back from injuries. They are primed to break out soon after being held to lower scoring totals recently.
The Guardians will also have the benefit of starting Shane Bieber (1-3, 3.55 ERA). He has been one of the more consistent pitchers over the past few years.
The Tigers did well to win the first meeting between the two clubs, but they are still just 16-28 on the season and do not have any real selling points for their team.
Miguel Cabrera continues to defy father time (as many professional athletes have lately), but no one has stepped up as a reliable running mate. Alex Faedo (1-1, 3.00 ERA) will be on the bump for the home team. They look to score consecutive victories against their American League Central rival.
Baltimore Orioles +1.5 vs. Boston Red Sox
The Orioles are only 18-27, but they have been one of the best teams in the league against the spread and have been playing quite well lately.
They are only 6-16 away from home, which is concerning, but in their last seven games—including series against the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays— they either won outright or covered the spread in five out of seven attempts. Kyle Bradish (1-1, 5.74 ERA) will get the start as he looks to get past a 5.1-inning, five-earned-run in his last start.
The Red Sox started the season off horribly. Fortunately, they have bounced back impressively.
They won 10 of 13 games and scoring 16 runs against the Chicago White Sox in their most recent game, also their second time in three games against the White Sox, where they scored 16 runs.
J.D. Martinex is still leading the league in batting average. Trevor Story has refound his swing and contributed seven home runs in the last seven games. Garrett Whitlock (1-1, 3.58 ERA) will be on the mound for this game.
New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays
The Yankees won game one in the ongoing series 7-2 via a comeback as they continue to demonstrate different ways to win ball games, but that does not change that the Rays are the superior pick for Friday’s game.
Four of the team’s eight starting position players are injured, and two of their main relievers are also out. Jameson Taillon (4-1, 2.95 ERA) will get the start for the pinstripers.
The Rays have been their usual, consistent selves, going 26-18 and handling the teams they should as well as challenging the top powers. Jeffrey Springs (2-1, 1.32 ERA) will have the job of leading the challenge against the league’s best team.
