April 16, 2022 MLB Daily Betting Guide: Baseball Betting Odds & Picks

Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox (4:11 pm ET)

Team Favored and Spread: Boston -1.5

Total Runs: 9.5

At 3-4, the Minnesota Twins find themselves in fourth in the AL Central. While it is extremely early to be looking at standings, Minnesota fans are expecting a lot more after a series of offseason moves.

One of those moves will be taking the mound Saturday afternoon as Sonny Gray is expected to start this one. Acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason, Gray went 4.2 innings, allowing two runs in his first start.

The Red Sox will counter with Tanner Houck. Trying to keep his spot in the rotation, Houck will try to bounce back from a brutal start in his first outing. In that start, he allowed three runs in 3.1 innings on six hits and three walks.

Offensively, the Twins took a huge blow Friday as Byron Buxton was forced to leave the game early after hurting his ankle sliding into second base. As the only player with more than a single home run, Buxton had been off to a fast start.

This one is a tough one to call. On the one hand, Gray should be the more reliable pitcher, but the Red Sox have a much stronger offense.

Especially with the Twins losing a big piece to the offense in Buxton, take the Red Sox offense to prevail in this one. As a result, take Boston to cover the -1.5 runline and the over 9.5 runs to hit.

San Francisco Giants at Cleveland Guardians (6:11 pm ET)

Team Favored and Spread: San Francisco -1.5

Total Runs: 8

After scoring 44 runs in four games, the Cleveland Guardians’ offense was finally suppressed as Carlos Rodon, and the San Francisco Giants beat them 4-1 on Friday night.

Now, the Guardians will look to get back on track as they host the Giants for the second of a three-game series Saturday. The Giants will send Anthony DeSclafani (0-0, 4.91 ERA) to the mound to take on Cal Quantrill (1-0, 3.60 ERA).

At 27-years-old, Quantrill has quietly become a really solid pitcher for Cleveland, and he showed this off in his first start. Picking up the win over Kansas City, Quantrill went five innings, allowing two runs on four hits.

If he can have a similar performance on Saturday, the Guardians should be able to get back into the win column. At the very least, expect them to be able to make some more noise offensively against DeSclafani. Take Cleveland +1.5 while taking the over on the total runs.

Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers (7:06 pm ET)

Team Favored and Spread: Los Angeles -1.5

Total Runs: 9

The Angels made some unique history in their matchup with the Rangers Friday. For the first time since 1881, a MLB team intentionally walked a batter with the bases loaded while trailing in the game.

Despite the unusual decision by Angels’ manager Joe Madden, they still prevailed, winning 9-6. Shohei Ohtani had two of five home runs hit by Angels’ sluggers, and the bullpen bailed out Reid Detmers, who went 3.1 innings, allowing five runs.

On Saturday, these two will square off with Noah Syndergaard (1-0, 0.00 ERA) taking the ball for the Angels against the Rangers’ Taylor Hearn (0-0, 2.25 ERA).

Especially with “Thor” on the mound, take the Angels to cover the -1.5 runline and expect the total to stay under nine runs.

Houston Astros at Seattle Mariners (9:11 pm ET)

Team Favored and Spread: Houston -1.5

Total Runs: 7.5

Despite still sitting in first in the AL West with a 4-3 record, the Astros have been scuffling as of late, particularly on the offensive side. In fact, in their last five games, they have combined for just nine runs. Despite winning two of those games, that is putting a lot of pressure on the pitching staff to be perfect.

On Saturday, manager Dusty Baker will hand the ball to veteran Justin Verlander. In his first start in over a year because of Tommy John surgery, Verlander threw five innings, allowing just a single run and striking out seven.

The Mariners’ offense impressed in the series opener Friday night, scoring 11 runs on 13 hits. Eugenio Suarez hit his second home run of the season and drove in three runs. Adam Frazier was also solid going four for five with four runs batted in out of the leadoff spot.

Until the Astros’ offense starts producing, they are a hard team to get behind. For that reason, take Seattle +1.5 on the runline and expect the total to go over the 7.5 runs.

Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers (10:11 pm ET)

Team Favored and Spread: Los Angeles -1.5

Total Runs: 9

Rookie Hunter Greene gets another opportunity to show off his electric stuff that has made him one of the most captivating rookie pitchers in baseball. In his debut, Greene picked up the win over the defending champion Atlanta Braves after going five innings, allowing three runs, and striking out seven.

He is facing the gauntlet to start his career as he has another tough offense to match up again in the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have taken the first two games of this series.

For Los Angeles, they will send lefty phenom Julio Urias to the mound Saturday. Urias struggled in his first outing, taking the loss against the Colorado Rockies after giving up six runs (three earned) in two innings.

Still, after going 20-3 with a 2.96 ERA last year, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Urias bounce back with better stuff in this one.

Take the Dodgers to cover the -1.5 runline and expect the total to stay under the nine runs. If you are a Reds fan, though, enjoy watching Greene take the ball as he is must-watch television anytime he is getting a start.

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