Friday figures to be eventful with the NBA play-in tournament wrapping up, all 30 MLB teams in action, a pair of NHL contests and more across the globe. Baseball is celebrating Jackie Robinson day with blue 42’s on each players’ back. Here’s a look at the top events on Friday’s slate.
Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox
The Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox each have a share of their divisional leads, though that may change after Friday’s 7:10 p.m. ET game. Both were playoff teams after winning their respective divisions a season ago.
The White Sox will throw Dylan Cease while Tampa Bay has Drew Rasmussen tabbed for the start. The Sox have the third-best offensive strikeout rate at 6.37 per game, and Tampa Bay has the top pitching strikeout rate at 11.11 times per game. The Rays also are fifth in average at .261 versus the Sox’s fifth-best pitching average of .199.
The White Sox are favored at -1 with an over/under of 8.5. The majority of the money is on Chicago and under, we’ll take the over and White Sox.
St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers
The top two teams in the NL Central meet when the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Milwaukee Brewers at 8:10 p.m. ET. Miles Mikolas will go for the Cardinals against Freddy Peralta, each of whom struggled in their first outings.
St. Louis has one of the top offenses in the league, ranking second in OPS (.798), strikeout rate (6.34) and first in home runs (1.84 per game). Nolan Arenado is hitting .400 with three doubles and three homers to start the season. The Brewers won Thursday’s game 5-1.
The Brewers are favored at -1 with an over/under of 8.5. The Cardinals are 4-1 in their last five in Milwaukee. A slight majority of public bets are on the Cardinals and over. We’ll take the Cardinals outright.
Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres
The defending champion Atlanta Braves visit the upstart San Diego Padres for a 9:40 p.m. ET start. Atlanta will start Kyle Wright, who didn’t allow a run over his first six innings. San Diego counters with highly touted prospect MacKenzie Gore, who will make his highly anticipated Major League debut.
Wright has been one of the few bright spots in an Atlanta pitching staff allowing the second-most runs per game (6.21). He’ll need to be sharp against an offense scoring 5.09 runs per game, the fifth-best mark.
The Padres are favored at -1 with an over/under of 8.5. The Braves are 6-1 in their last seven in San Diego, and the under is 5-2 in San Diego. Last night the Padres won 12-1 and we’ll pick them to win and cover.
Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners
The AL West is in for a battle with the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners in the mix as they meet at 9:42 p.m. ET. Houston will throw Jake Odorizzi against Marco Gonzales.
Houston’s pitching staff is tops in runs allowed per game, allowing just 2.36. Seattle is scoring only 3.2, the fourth worst mark though they beat the White Sox 5-1 yesterday.
Astros -1 with an over/under of 8.5. Public money is heavy on the Astros, who have dominated this series, and we’ll ride with them.
New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Clippers
The final play-in game of the season tips off at 10 p.m. ET. The Clippers are favored in a matchup that screams a mismatch. Los Angeles is top-7 in defensive field goal and 3-point efficiency against a New Orleans offense that is 23rd and 27th, respectively. Flip to the other end of the court and the Pelicans are 26th in 3-point percentage allowed compared to the Clippers’ third-best shooting mark.
The Clippers are favored at -4 with an over/under of 216. Public money is heavy on the Clippers and the over. We’ll take the Clippers and go under.
Winnipeg Jets at Florida Panthers
The Winnipeg Jets aren’t yet out of the playoff picture, but things are pretty bleak. They’re eight points back of Dallas for the second Wild Card spot with two other teams (Vancouver and Vegas) in their way. They’d virtually need to win out to have a shot, and against a first-place Florida Panthers club who is 31-6-0 at home this season, we just don’t see it.
Take the Panthers on the -1.5 puck line here.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own
Last updated:April 15, 2022 Action 247, Astros, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Clippers, Jets, Mariners, Padres, Panthers, Pelicans, Rays, White Sox