Day: April 7, 2023

Los Angeles Angels VS Toronto Blue Jays feature the Angels (4-2) and Blue Jays (4-3) who will both appear in the opening meeting of a three-game series.

The Blue Jays went 4-3 against the Angels last season, with Toronto winning all seven games.

MatchPlug has an analysis of the MLB Predictions Today, picks, and odds for the Angels VS Blue Jays.

Read MLB BEST BETS TODAY; Tampa Bay Rays VS Oakland Athletics Expert Picks

Predictions and Betting Preview for Los Angeles Angels VS Toronto Blue Jays MLB Regular Season

• Venue: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California
• When: Friday, April 7th, 2023
• Time: 18:38 GMT
• Teams to play: Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays
• MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.928

Odds by 1XBet.

See MLB BEST BETS TODAY; New York Mets VS Miami Marlins Expert Picks

Betting On The Los Angeles Angels

• 1XBet Spread: +1.5
• 1XBet Moneyline: 1.928
• 1XBet Over/Under: Over 9.5

The Los Angeles Angels house two of MLB’s best players but entered the season with a predicted win total of just 81.5. The last time the Angels won a season was in 2015, and they went 73-89 in 2022. Los Angels will be playing their home opener after defeating Seattle 4-3 on the road Wednesday. While they’re off to a great start, last season they began 21-17 and went 46-72 the rest of the journey.

Los Angeles is 9th averaging 5.7 runs per game and 19th with a .243 batting average. Shohei Ohtani bats .286 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI, and Mike Trout bats .368 with a .571 on-base percentage, 1 home run and 3 RBI. Taylor Ward has a team-best .390 batting average, 2 home runs, and has added 6 RBI. Logan O’ Hoppe the Angels’ catcher has 2 homers and a team-best 8 RBI.

Patrick Sandoval will start for the Angels (1-0, 1.80 ERA), who threw 5 innings and allowed one run in a 13-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday. Sandoval went 6-9 but posted a 2.91 ERA last season. Sandoval had only ever faced Toronto on May 19 last season when he allowed 6 runs in 3 innings of an 11-10 loss.

Betting On The Toronto Blue Jays

• 1XBet Spread: -1.5
• 1XBet Moneyline: 2.012
• 1XBet Over/Under: Under 9.5

The Toronto Blue Jays entered the season with 90.5 projected wins according to Vegas Insider, the 3rd highest in the American League behind the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. Toronto dropped 3 out of their first 4 games to start the season but then defeated the Royals in Kansas City. The Blue Jays were the favourites at -166, -187, and -218 in the games they won against the Royals. They’ll now stay on the road and not play at home until April 11 against Detroit Tigers.

Chris Bassitt (0-1, 24.30 ERA) will start for Toronto today. The right-hander was present last Sunday for 9 runs and 4 home runs allowed in only 3.1 innings of a 9-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2022, he went 1-9 with a 3.42 ERA during the regular season. Bassitt has made 12 career appearances against the Angels, but not since 2021. In his outings against Los Angeles, he is 6-3 with a 3.43 ERA all-time but 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA in 6 starts since the beginning of 2020.

Toronto is second in MLB with a .291 team batting average and 13th averaging 4.95 runs per game. Third baseman Matt Chapman leads MLB with a .481 batting average and included 7 RBI to lead his team, Vladimir Guerrero Jr has delivered two of the Blue Jay’s home runs.

MatchPlug Prediction

Backers who have taken the Los Angeles Angels as favourites have not had much profit. Last season they lost more money for sports bettors who wagered on them than any team other than the Miami Marlins. They are only 6-20 in their last 26 games against opponents from the American League East.

The Toronto Blue Jays’ proposed starter Bassitt was bad in his first start, but he is not an awful pitcher and has some future promise. The road team won the past 7 games in this series, and Toronto is a better team, due to this experts have advised bettors to back them.

Taking the Angels as a favourite has not been a profitable habit for their backers. Last season the Angles lost more money for sports bettors who took them than any team other than Miami.

 Los Angeles is also just 6-20 in their last 26 games against foes from the AL East according to covers.com. Toronto’s projected starter Chris Bassitt was terrible in his first start, but he is far from a terrible pitcher, and better days are ahead. The road team has won the last seven games in this series, and Toronto is also the better team overall, so I suggest backing them for plus money here.

However, for direct odds from Sportsbooks, on who the favourites for this matchup are, you may want to refer to the odds we listed in this preview.

Final Prediction: Los Angeles Angels Moneyline.

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Tampa Bay Rays VS Oakland Athletics feature the Athletics (2-4, 3-3 RL, 2-3-1 O/U) and the Rays (6-0, 6-0 RL, 3-2-1 O/U) in the first match for a three-game AL series today at the Trop. 

Ken Waldichuk will be on the mound for Oakland, while Zach Eflin will do the same for Tampa Bay. The Rays went 4-3 against the Athletics last season.

In this preview, MatchPlug discusses the MLB Predictions Today, picks, and odds for the Rays VS Athletics.

See MLB BEST BETS TODAY; Los Angeles Angels VS Toronto Blue Jays Expert Picks

Predictions and Betting Preview for Tampa Bay Rays VS Oakland Athletics MLB Regular Season

• Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
• When: Friday, April 7th, 2023
• Time: 15:40 GMT
• Teams to play: Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics
• MLB Expert Picks: SPREAD -1.5

Odds by 1XBet and BetMGM.

Read MLB BEST BETS TODAY; New York Mets VS Miami Marlins Expert Picks

Betting On The Tampa Bay Rays

• 1XBet Spread: -1.5
• 1XBet Moneyline: 1.444
• 1XBet Over/Under: Over 7.5
• BetMGM Spread: -1.5
• BetMGM Moneyline: 1.36
• BetMGM Over/Under: Under 7.5

Veteran player, Zach Eflin will get recognized for the second time this season. He was fantastic in his opening start, limiting the Detroit Tigers to just one run on three hits in five innings, and secured the victory. Eflin signed on with the Rays after spending a greater part of his MLB career with the Philadelphia Phillies. He struggled with injuries in recent seasons but is still effective. Zach posted a 4.04 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP to complement his 3-5 record in 75.2 innings last campaign. He accumulated two shutout innings against Oakland last year, marking his only career meeting with the Athletics.

Coach Kevin Cash keeps the Rays in good shape this season. Tampa Bay won the opening two series, sweeping the Tigers using dominating pitching, plus another sweep against the Washington Nationals on the road this week. The Rays’ pitching is as good as it was in previous seasons. They’ve conceded only 13 runs in six games.

Tampa Bay has many solid hitters which include Wander Franco the young star. Franco has dominated so far, gathering 8 hits, leading to a .417 average with a remarkable seven RBIs and 1.28 OPS. He hit .290 with three RBIs against Oakland last season.

The Rays lead the Majors with 7.33 runs per game. The pitching is standard, accumulating a 2.00 ERA, good for second in the major leagues.

Betting On The Oakland Athletics

• 1XBet Spread: +1.5
• 1XBet Moneyline: 3.102
• 1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5
• BetMGM Spread: +1.5
• BetMGM Moneyline: 3.20
• BetMGM Over/Under: Over 7.5

Ken Waldichuk will be on the hill for the Oakland Athletics to begin the series. In his season debut, Waldichuk clobbered, forfeiting six runs including three home runs in 5.2 innings against the Los Angeles Angels, it’s no surprise he carried the loss. After seven outings last season, this player is still regarded as a rookie. He posted a weak 4.93 ERA but an encouraging 1.21 WHIP and a 2-2 record in 34.2 innings pitched last year. This is Waldichuk’s first time meeting the Rays.

Now that they’ve traded most of their key hitters, the Athletics will be close to the bottom of the standings all season. They dropped 3 of 4 to the Angels in the opening series. They lost 2 of three to the Cleveland Guardians this week after losing in 10 innings on Wednesday.

Oakland does not have many big hitters in its lineup but there are some players that reach base. Ramon Laureano has been reaching base and producing, he recorded two home runs, three RBIs, and a powerful .883 OPS. The outfielder hit 13 bombs with 3 RBIs in 94 games last season. Laureano has 8 RBIs in 16 career games against the Rays.

The Athletics score an average of 3.67 runs per game, ranking them 23rd. They recorded a 5.79 team ERA, pegging them 28th.

MatchPlug Prediction

For the first time in the season, the Oakland Athletics will be on the road. They’ll take some hits this season and may lose 100 games. The Tampa Bay Rays on the other hand are on fire, winning all of their 6 games, and sweeping the Tigers and Nationals. Tampa Bay is the only unbeaten team in the big leagues.

In addition, the Athletics’ Ken Waldichuk was rocked in his opening start, misusing six runs against the Angels. He is yet to find his footing in the Major Leagues, logging a 5.58 ERA in 40.1 career innings. Ray’s Zach Eflin on the other hand limited the Tigers to just one run in his first start.

Experts predict the run line because all of Tampa Bay’s 6 victories have been by multiple runs.

Final Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays Spread.

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MLB BEST BETS TODAY; Chicago Cubs VS Texas Rangers Expert Picks

Chicago Cubs VS Texas Rangers feature two teams at the start of an interleague series on the diamond, who open a weekend North side of the Windy City. 

The Texas Rangers are on the road as they play the opening match of a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs Friday afternoon. Texas leveraged the finale of their three-game home set with the Baltimore Orioles as they secured a 5-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon. 

On Wednesday Chicago Cubs were rained out in Cincinnati playing against the Cincinnati Reds so they were left with a split of a rain-shortened two-game set. The Cubs triumphed 12-5 in their most current contest on Tuesday.

In the recent series between the two sides, the Rangers took 2 out of 3 games at home from March 28-31, 2019.

MatchPlug is ready with MLB Predictions Today for the Cubs and Rangers game.

Related: MLB BEST BETS TODAY; New York Mets VS Miami Marlins Expert Picks

Predictions and Betting Preview For Chicago Cubs VS Texas Rangers Regular Season

• Venue: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
• When: Friday, April 7th, 2023
• Time: 11:20 GMT
• Teams to play: Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers.
• MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.868

Odds by 1XBet and BetMGM.

See MLB BEST BETS TODAY; Tampa Bay Rays VS Oakland Athletics Expert Picks

Betting On The Chicago Cubs

• 1XBet Spread: -1.5
• 1XBet Moneyline: 1.868
• 1XBet Over/Under: Over 6.5
• BetMGM Spread: -1.5
• BetMGM Moneyline: 1.80
• BetMGM Over/Under: Under 7

The Chicago Cubs earned a split of the rain-shortened series with the Cincinnati Reds by winning Tuesday night. The finale that took place on Wednesday afternoon was rained out, giving them two days off between games.

On Thursday, the Cubs entered 2-3 on the year, standing 4th in the NL Central, 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Against the Reds Tuesday night, they got 3 hits each from Nico Hoerner (3 runs), Ian Happ (two runs, RBI), Cody Bellinger (run, RBI) and Patrick Wisdom (2 runs, 3 RB) in the game. Chicago finished the game 10 for 21 with runners in scoring position. 

Hayden Wesneski didn’t consider the decision as he threw 4.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Adbert Alzolay (1-0) earned the win in relief as he threw 2.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits with no walks and 5 strikeouts.

Marcus Stroman was scheduled to begin Wednesday before the rainout, he gets the ball for his second start of the year for the Cubs. He is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, 3 walks and 8 strikeouts in a year. Stroman got the win in his season debut, which was last Thursday at home against Milwaukee. He threw 6 shutout frames and allowed 3 hits with 3 walks and 8 strikeouts in a game the Cubs won 4-0. Stroman will make his 5th career start against the Rangers this contest. He is 1-3 with a 7.71 ERA, a 1.571 WHIP, 8 walks and 17 strikeouts over 21 innings of work. Marcus is 4-5 with a 4.73 ERA, a 1294 WHIP, 25 walks and 71 strikeouts over 70.1 innings in 13 career starts at Wrigley Field.

Betting On The Texas Rangers

• 1XBet Spread: +1.5
• 1XBet Moneyline: 2.085
• 1XBet Over/Under: Under 6.5
• BetMGM Spread: +1.5
• BetMGM Moneyline: 2.05
• BetMGM Over/Under: Over 7

The Texas Rangers played their 6 games at home, earning the win in the finale against the Baltimore Orioles Thursday, avoiding a defeat at the hands of Baltimore. They came into Thursday 4-2 on the season and shared the top spot in the AL West with the Los Angeles Angels.

Wednesday afternoon against the Orioles, Texas got two hits each from Adolis Garcia (two runs, RBI) and Josh Jung (run, 3 RBI) to pace a nine-hit attack. Jung hit his second home this campaign, a two-run shot, in the 6th inning to break a 2-2 tie and send his team to victory.

Jacob deGrom (1-0) secured a win when he threw 6 innings, allowing two runs (1 earned) on two hits with 2 walks and 11 strikeouts. Jose LeClerc worked a 1-2-2 ninth, striking out one, for his first save of the year.

Texas has Nathan Eovaldi on the mound, as he makes his second start of the season. Eovaldi is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA, a 1.60 WHIP, two walks and six strikeouts on the year. He got the win during his season debut, which was on Saturday at home against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Nathan threw 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts in a game the Rangers won 16-3. Eovaldi will be making his third career start against the Cubs this campaign. He enters with 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA, a 1.098 WHIP, one walk and 10 strikeouts over 13.2 innings of work against them. The Texan Ranger didn’t consider the decision in his lone career start at Wrigley Field, which was with the Miami Marlins on June 6, 2014. He threw 7.2 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on five hits with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts in a game the Marlins dropped 5-3 in 13 innings.

MatchPlug Prediction

Cubs VS Rangers should be an entertaining game because the starting pitchers don’t have a lot of experience with facing the opposition this campaign. Eovaldi pitched against Chicago only twice while Stroman pitched against Texas just four times despite spending most of his career in the American League.

Nathan secured the win in his first start but wasn’t very good as he relied on a big offensive outburst from the Rangers in that match. Stroman shut down Milwaukee during the opener and has pitched better since the second half of last season. 

Texas hasn’t been seen on the road this season and experts want to see how they’ll perform in away matches before backing them. Stroman and the Cubs may salvage the conditions to win this matchup.

For more accurate MLB Expert Picks for Cubs VS Rangers, check the sportsbook odds we listed.

Final Prediction: Chicago Cubs Moneyline.

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New York Mets VS Miami Marlins takes place at Citi Field today in New York’s home opener. The first pitch from Queens, NY, is at 1:10 p.m. ET. The Mets are a -170 moneyline favourite and the game total is 8 runs.

On Wednesday, the Miami Marlins (3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS) wrapped up its series with the Minnesota Twins with a 5-2. The Marlins won 2 out of 3 games against the Twins.

The New York Mets  (3-4 SU and 4-3 ATS) lost its series finale to the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 on Wednesday. They lost by 19-0 in the first two games.

Edward Cabrera (0-0, 4.50 ERA and 2.00 WHIP) of the Marlins will be sent to the mound and Tyler Megill from the Mets will counter with (1-0, 3.60 ERA, and 1.60 WHIP).

MatchPlug has given the MLB best bets today for the New York Mets and Miami Marlins game.

Related: MLB BEST BETS TODAY; Chicago Cubs VS Texas Rangers Expert Picks

Predictions and Betting Preview For New York Mets VS Miami Marlins MLB Regular Season

• Venue: Citi Field, Flushing, Queens New York City
• When: Friday, April 7, 2023
• Time: 10:05 GMT
• Teams to play: Mets VS Marlins.
• MLB Expert Picks: SPREAD -1.5

Odds by 1XBet and BetMGM.

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Betting On The New York Mets

• 1XBet Spread: -1.5
• 1XBet Moneyline: 1.598
• 1XBet Over/Under: Over 7.5
• BetMGM Spread: -1.5
• BetMGM Moneyline: 1.55
• BetMGM Over/Under: Under 7.5

The New York Mets will be glad to return home after a disappointing series of games at the American Family Field. They lost to the Brewers in the first two games, winning 10-0 and 9-0.

In the game that happened last Tuesday, Milwaukee hit three successive home runs off of Max Scherzer in the sixth inning, and hit back-to-back long balls off of Brooks Raley the reliever in the seventh. This was difficult for the Mets backers to digest, as they were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on the base. In one game of the Milwaukee series, 9 runners were stranded (0-for-5 with RISP).

Milwaukee picked up a series sweep on Wednesday with a walk-off home run in the ninth inning. The Mets’ bats finally picked up, with Francisco Lindor knocking in two runs and Pete Alonso smacking two long balls. But, it wasn’t enough because the Brewers scored seven more runs against NY pitching, outscoring the Mets 26-6 in the series.

New York scored 2.83 runs per game (28th) with a .207 batting average (27th) and .608 OPS (27th). They’ve gone yard three times (28th) and stolen four bases (11th). The Mets average 6.17 strikeouts per nine innings (2nd). The pitching staff has a 4.76 ERA (17th) and 1.43 WHIP (20th) with one quality start (12th).

Megill will take the bump today for NY in the home opener. He made a strong debut vs. Miami: 5 innings, two deserved runs, seven strikeouts, and two walks. He depends on his slider and curveball, searching for consistency with a four-seam fastball. After forfeiting a two-run homer to Nick Fortes on a 94-MPH fastball in the second inning, although he settled in. Tyler will want to ride on the effect of that start for a great matchup today.

Betting On The Miami Marlins

• 1XBet Spread: +1.5
• 1XBet Moneyline: 2.568
• 1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5
• BetMGM Spread: +1.5
• BetMGM Moneyline: 2.50
• BetMGM Over/Under: Over 7.5

On Tuesday, Sandy Alcantara gave the Miami Marlins a boost, as the current Cy Young winner pitched the first complete game this season. Alcantara gave up 3 hits and no runs, striking out five in an hour and 57 minutes. Avisaíl García homered in the second inning, the only run Sandy needed to lead Miami to victory.

Miami benefitted from another solid outing from Jesús Luzardo in Wednesday’s series finale. Luzardo fanned 10 Twins in six-plus innings. Bryan De La Cruz hit a go-ahead single in the 8th and Jorge Soler homered twice for the Marlins.

The Marlins scored 1.67 runs per game (30th) with a 2.33 average (23rd) and .674 OPS (23rd). It’s hit five home runs (19th) and stolen one base (21st). They strike out 10.67 times per nine innings (29th). The pitching staff has a 4.50 ERA (14th) and 1.22 WHIP (8th) with one quality start (10th). 

Edward Cabrera will take the mound today. In his season debut against the Mets on April 1, he had four innings and forfeited two runs on two hits and 6 walks. Cabrera threw only 40 of his 85 pitches for strikes. He is 1-1 with a 6.63 ERA in five career starts VS the Mets. He gave up a homer in four outings and passed the fourth inning only once.

Cabrera’s pitch is unusual from most starters. Last season he used his fastball less (20.2%) than in 2021(38.6%), adding a sinker and using his changeup (11%) and curve (3%) more. His four-seam fastball and changeup were more effective, but he still has a problem with his walk rate (4.1 BB/9).

MatchPlug Prediction

The New York Mets will use Megill in the home opener and cause Cabrera to leave the game early, he will struggle with command again.

New York will exploit its opportunities with runners on base, pushing some home runs in the first 3 innings. Its bullpen will sigh in relief, dispatching the dugout with relative ease.

For MLB Expert Picks you can trust regarding the Mets and Marlins, refer to the sportsbooks odds we listed in this preview.

Final Prediction: New York Mets Spread.

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