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.

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. See MLB BEST BETS TODAY; Tampa Bay Rays VS Oakland Athletics Expert Picks 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. More From MLB: MLB BEST BETS TODAY; Los Angeles Angels VS Toronto Blue Jays Expert Picks

New York Mets VS Miami Marlins is between two NL East rivals who will be meeting again on Opening Day, with the Marlins hosting the Mets. Their game is positioned as the best pitching matchup of the day. Last Season, New York won 101 games but fumbled a large division lead to finish second in the NL East before they failed to advance past the NL Wild Card Series. The Marlins would have loved to have this performance, seeing as they finished 69-93, 32.0 games out of first place and barely close to .500, let alone the postseason. New York won the 2022 season series 13-6, but they and the Marlins had a busy offseason that’d define this season. At Miami’s LoanDepot park, the Mets and Marlins will begin their 2023 season. MatchPlug has given an analysis of the MLB Predictions Today, picks, and odds for the Mets VS Marlins. Predictions and Betting Preview for New York Mets VS Miami Marlins MLB Regular Season Venue: Miami’s LoanDepot Park, Miami, Florida When: Friday, March 31, 2023 Time: 15:40 GMT Teams to play: New York Mets and Miami Marlins MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.92 Odds as seen on 1XBet and BetMGM. Betting On The New York Mets 1XBet Spread: -1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.92 1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5 BetMGM Spread: -1.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 1.83 BetMGM Over/Under: Over 7.5 The New York Mets have set the tone for winning all for a successful season, by splurging cash on Talent. Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Francisco Lindor, and Pete Alonso are part of the All-Stars’ talents to come out of an exceptional 2022 season. Last season they scored the fifth-most runs and allowed the fourth fewest. The 2023 Mets maybe even better. This is, of course, the Flushing injury worrying the Mets will finally go away. They’ve already lost the best closer in MLB, Edwin Diaz, for the whole season. Starter Jose Quintana who was signed in free agency was sidelined too until the midway point. Two other bullpen arms will start the season too on the IL. Pitching depth took a huge blow, and staying healthy might be one of the biggest challenges for New York. New York has quite the history with Opening Day since the ‘60s ended. In the first 8 seasons, 1962-1969 the team lost on Opening  Day. Subsequent matches had them at 40-13 on Opening Day and they have the highest Opening Day winning percentage in the MLB. They play today’s game winning 5 of 6. Having a certified ace helps, and Scherzer fits this description. This will be the 7th time in his career that “Mad Max’’ opens the season for New York and his first time as a Met. While he’s pushing 40s, you can’t tell based on his performance last season. Max missed games due to injuries but had the lowest ERA of his career, 2.29 and second-lowest walk rate, 4.2% of his career. He didn’t play Miami at all in 2022. Betting On The Miami Marlins  1XBet Spread: +1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 2.022 1XBet Over/Under: Over 7.5 BetMGM Spread: +1.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 2.00 BetMGM Over/Under: Under 7.5 Miami Marlins missed the memo that the NL East is stacked and should be a three-team race. The front desk worked tirelessly to overhaul an offense that ended 28th in scoring and 27th in OPS last season. To their ranks, they included 2022’s AL Batting Champion, Luis Arraez, and two-time All-Star, Jean Segura. With the combination of Jon Berti and Jazz Chisholm Jr, the Mets’ offensive infusion may make their mark in MLB this season. The Marlins didn’t stop there, they added veteran Johnny Cueto to the mix and reliever JT Chargois to the bullpen. They had good pitching last season, finishing 12th in runs allowed and ninth in strikeouts, but they need to step up their 2022 play as a staff. All their new weapons should give Miami’s first-year manager, Skip Schumaker, the chance to build a team that wins games like the Word Series champions St. Louis Cardinals he played for. Schumakers’ most lethal weapon is MLB’s best pitcher NL CY Young, Sandy Alcantara, who gets the nod for today’s game. Alcantara pitched the most innings in the league last season and finished with 8.1 WAR, 1.7 ahead of the second-place pitcher. He was top 10 in most pitching statistics in 2022 and finished with a 14-9 record despite Miami finishing with a losing record. Last season he struggled against the Mets, pitching to a 3.33 ERA against them for four starts. Young allowed four earned runs in both home starts. Today’s matchup will be the fourth year in a row Alcantara starts Miami’s season. His record is 1-0, but the team is 1-2, losing the last two games after he left. The Mets are 12-18 all-time on Opening Day, plus losses in seven of the last eight. MatchPlug Prediction Miami Marlins may be the team to back, even after trotting out the best pitcher in MLB. His Opening Day performance has been fantastic so far, with 17.2 innings and only three earned runs, and if Miami’s offensive vision comes true, he may have the best run support he’s ever had in the team. Max Scherzer and the New York Mets are deadly, one of MLB’s favourites to possibly win everything this season, but it remains to be seen if today’s game goes their way.  Today’s game should be tight, and when they need a reliever to get them off a tight corner, Edwin Diaz will be there. Miami will strike late, taking their home opener against New York. Final Prediction: New York Mets Moneyline.

Los Angeles Dodgers VS Arizona Diamondbacks will be happening live on Major League Baseball’s opening matchday for the regular season.  The Diamondbacks (0-0) will want to kick off their 2023 campaign with a victory when they face the Dodgers (0-0) in what is the first game of their four-game series. They finished last season with a 74-88 record, which is not bad for fourth in the NHL West. The Dodgers, on the other hand, ended the season with a 111-51 record, leading the league, but lost to the San Diego Padres in the NLCS. Zac Gallen will start for Arizona. Gallen was 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA last season. Julio Urias will start for Los Angeles Dodgers. Urias was 17-7 with a 2.16 ERA last season. The Dodgers are 7-3 in their last 10 games against Arizona. As always, MatchPlug is ready with MLB Predictions Today for the Dodgers and Diamond Backs game. Predictions and Betting Preview For Los Angeles Dodgers VS Arizona Diamondbacks Regular Season Venue: Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles, California When: Thursday, March 30th, 2023 Time: 19:10 GMT Teams to play: Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. MLB Expert Picks: SPREAD -1.5 Odds as seen on 1XBet. Betting On The Los Angeles Dodgers  1XBet Spread: +1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 2.085 1XBet Over/Under: Over 7.5 The Los Angeles Dodgers finished last season with the best record, but they were eliminated from the playoffs in four games by the Padres in the NLCS. Although they lost Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Joey Gallo and Edwin Rios, they got veteran players like JD Martinez, David Peralta, Miguel Rojas, and Jason Heyward, so a huge drop in their offensive production shouldn’t be expected. Los Angeles averaged 5.17 runs per game last season. Their .257 batting average was fourth in the league. Their .333 on-base percentage was first, while their .442 slugging percentage was second. Freddie Freeman led them with a .325 batting average, 21 home runs, and 100 RBI. The Dodgers’ pitching was one of the best in MLB last season, they gave up 3.18 runs per game. Opponents had a .209 batting average against the Dodgers, which was the first in the league. Their 2.80 ERA led the league, and so did their 1.05 WHIP. During his last start against the Diamondbacks, Urias forfeited three hits and one run in 5.1 innings, leading to a 3-2 win for the Dodgers. They’ll need another start from him if they intend to win. Injuries: Daniel Hudson (Knee) and Tony Gonsolin (Ankle) are out indefinitely, and Galvin Lux (ACL) is out for the season. Betting On The Arizona Diamondbacks  1XBet Spread: -1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.868 1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5 Last season, the Arizona Diamondbacks finished fourth position in the NL West, but were 11 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who got the final Wildcard spot. This team has lots of talented young players who are expected to boost their performances last season and added veterans like Lourders Gurriel Jr., Kyle Lewis, and Evan Longoria. They hope these players will help them achieve their playoff dream.  They averaged 4.33 goals per game last season. Their .230 batting average was 26th in the league. Their .304 on-base percentage was 24th, while their .385 slugging percentage was 20th. Josh Rojas led the Diamondbacks with a .269 batting average, while Christian Walker led the team with 36 home runs and 94 RBI. Arizona’s pitching wasn’t very well last season, with the team conceding 4.57 runs per game. Opponents had a .247 batting average against the Diamondbacks, which was 20th in the league. Their 4.25 ERA was 23rd, while their 1.29 WHIP was 20th. The last time the Diamondbacks started against the Dodgers, Gallen forfeited two hits and one run in eight innings, while striking out 13 batters. They’ll need him to give the same performance for them to win this game. Injury: Joe Mantiply (Shoulder) is on the 10-day IL. Carson Kelly (Forearm) is out indefinitely. MatchPlug Prediction In the 2022 season, the Diamondbacks were average in offense, averaging 4.33 runs per game. They didn’t make a splash during the offseason but added a few veterans that might boost their offense. Even with the new additions, they may struggle offensively in this game, as they did not hit the ball well against left-handers and Urias has had lots of success against them, going 7-1 in eight games against them. He conceded three runs in his last four starts against the Diamondbacks and will regulate their offense again. The Dodgers were MLB’s best offensive team last season, but they lost key offensive players like Turner and Bellinger. Despite these losses, Los Angeles still has lots of depth including players like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, so they won’t be a huge drop in offense. Gallen was one of the best pitchers in MLB last season, but he has not had much luck against the Dodgers, going 1-2 in nine starts against them. He gave up five runs in his last two starts in Los Angeles and will find it challenging to slow them down in today’s matchup. So, bettors are advised to go with Los Angeles to cover the line. For more accurate MLB Expert Picks for Dodgers VS Diamondbacks, check the sportsbook odds we listed. Prediction: Arizona Diamondbacks Spread.

In Oakland Athletics VS Los Angeles Angles, two AL West rivals open the 2023 MLB season on the diamond as they play in the city of the bay. The Angels are on the road as they commence a three-game series with the Athletics tonight. Los Angeles completed the 2022 season 78-89, earning them 3rd position in the AL West, 33 games behind the Astros for the top spot in the division. Oakland was the worst team in the American League last season, posting a 60-102 record, leaving them 46 games off the pace in the division.  Last season, the Angels has a 12-7 advantage in the season series through the A’s swept a three-game set at home in the October 3-5, 2022 series. In this preview, MatchPlug analyzes the MLB Predictions Today, picks, and odds for the Athletics VS Angels.  Predictions and Betting Preview for Oakland Athletics VS Los Angeles Angels MLB Regular Season Venue: RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland, California When: Wednesday, March 30th, 2023 Time: 19:07 GMT Teams to play: Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels MLB Expert Picks: SPREAD -1.5 Odds as seen on 1XBet. Betting On The Oakland Athletics 1XBet Spread: +1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 2.072 1XBet Over/Under: Over 7.5 The Oakland Athletics were the worst team in the American League last season and there isn’t much hope for them entering the 2023 season either. They traded their best player, catcher Sean Murphy and one of the top pitchers in their squad, Cole Irvin.  These trades left them with more confusion than clarity as this unending rebuild sputters along.  During the offseason, the Athletics added a few veterans like Aledyms Diaz and Jesus Aguilar to add some boost to their performances.  Shinto Fujinami and Drew Rucinski were brought in from overseas to bolster the rotation, although Rucinski will begin the year on the IL. Fujinami will pitch every sixth or seventh day to improve his performance after pitching at the WBC in Japan. Oakland added Trevor May to the bullpen but there are more questions than answers for the team. Kyle Muller was bought by the Athletics in the same deal that sent Murphy to the Atlanta Braves, which also involved Milwaukee Brewers.  He will start tonight’s game for Oakland. Muller made only three starts for the Braves last season, going 1-1 with an 8.03 ERA, a 1.703 WHIP, eight walks and 12 strikeouts over 12.1 innings of work.  Most of Kyle’s 2022 season was spent with Triple-A Gwinnett of the International League, posting a 6-8 mark with a 3.41 ERA, a 1.81 WHIP, 40 walks and 159 strikeouts over 134.2 innings over 23 starts. In his 13th major league appearance and 12th start, he will be pitching against the Angels for the first time. As the early part of this career was spent in the National League, this marks Muller’s first career outing at the RingCentral Coliseum. Betting On The Los Angeles Angels 1XBet Spread: -1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.875 1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5 The Los Angeles Angels struggled in the 2022 season as they ended 16 games below .500, which was an unimpressive finish after sitting 27-17 on May 24. They went 46-72 the rest of the year, which was started by a 14-game losing streak, to turn into another dud campaign. During the offseason, the Angeles made some moves, adding Tyler Anderson (Dodgers) to their rotation while Carlos Estevez and Matt Moore should help the bullpen too. Brandon Drury, Brett Phillips, Hunter Renfroe and Gio Urshela were included in the position player group to give Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani some support. Fans will soon find out if this addition will work, although it was good seeing owner Arte Moreno spend some money with Ohtani’s free agency happening at the end of the season. As for Ohtani, he’ll be the opening pitcher for the Angels again. He made 28 on-the-hill starts for them, posting a 15-9 mark with a 2.33 ERA, a 1.012 WHIP, 44 walks and 219 strikeouts over 166 innings of work. For Shohei’s effort, he was 4th in the AL Cy Young voting and finished 2nd behind the Yankees’ Aaron Judge for AL MVP honours. Ohtani will make his 11th career start against the Athletics in this game, having posted good numbers against them. He is 4-4 with a 2.50 ERA, a 0.884 WHIP, 19 walks, and 69 strikeouts over 57.2 innings of action against Oakland. Ohtani is 2-3 with a 3.72 ERA, a 1.035 WHIP, 13 walks, and 30 strikeouts over 29 innings of work in six career starts at the RingCentral Coliseum. MatchPlug Prediction While the Athletics and Angels were sub-.500 again last season, the truth remains that the Angels are attempting to make their team competitive. Oakland sold who was arguably their top two players in the offseason, leaving them with many question marks and youths that need to prove themselves.  Mullers of the Athletics don’t have much of a track record to fall back on at this point at the major league level. Ohtani on the other hand gave an outstanding performance in 2022, on the mound and at the plate. The Angels have a better lineup to work with in terms of offense.  Ohtani should breeze through the Oakland lineup, a thought which may be pushing it if you call it a Triple-A level squad. The Angels bat should encounter more than enough runs on the board against Muller and his squad to put tonight’s Athletics VS Angels game in a win column. Prediction: Los Angeles Angels Spread.

Major League Baseball season kicks off today, with many of the teams playing their first game of the regular season. San Diego Padres VS Colorado Rockies is one of the matches happening on the first day of the regular season. The Colorado Rockies will play in an away game happening at the home field of the San Diego Padres in an NL West opening-day matchup. Colorado would want to rebound from finishing last place in the NL West in 2022. While San Diego hopes to move on after losing in the NCLS last season to Philadelphia.  Pitching for this matchup will be done by Rockies right-hander German Marquez who had 9-13 with a 5.00 ERA last season, and Padres lefty pitcher Blake Snell, 8-10 with a 3.38 ERA in 2022. The opening pitch will happen at 4:10 PM EST. MatchPlug has laid out the MLB best bets today for the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies game. Predictions and Betting Preview For San Diego Padres VS Colorado Rockies MLB Regular Season Venue: Petco Park, Downtown San Diego, California When: Thursday, March 30th, 2023 Time: 18:40 GMT Teams to play: Padres and Rockies. MLB Expert Picks: SPREAD -1.5 Odds as seen on 1XBet. Betting On The San Diego Padres 1XBet Spread: -1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.59 1XBet Over/Under: Over 8.5 The San Diego Padres made some season-altering trades that almost led to them appearing in the World Series, before losing to the Phillies in the NLCS in 2022. Refusing to take their loss lying down, San Diego signed former Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts to a multi-year deal this offseason.  Adding Bogaerts to the team will give the Padres an all-star lineup that will get better with former SS Fernando Tatis Jr’s return, now a right fielder after he was suspended in the first half.  They added DH/1B types like Nelson Cruz and Matt Carpenter to give the lineup a fantastic right/left combo at the plate. San Diego still has a solid rotation and two superstars in third baseman Manny Machado and outfielder Juan Soto. With their strong bullpen too, the Padres are one of the teams to beat in the National League. San Diego will look to Blake Snell to take the ball on Opening Day. Last season, Snell began the season on the IL recovering from injury and didn’t exactly make his stride until after the all-star break. He had eight wins in 24 starts. Snell has an 11.21 K/9 rate in the month too. He finished 1-1 with a 5.31 ERA in four starts against the Rockies last season. He has been great at home during his career with a 2.70 ERA and a record of 31-23. Snell also has an 11.43 K/9 rate at home in his career. Key Injuries: SP Joe Musgrove (toe) is still recovering from the injury, and Soto is put as day-to-day with an oblique Injury. Tatis Jr. will come back from suspension on April 20th. Betting On The Colorado Rockies 1XBet Spread: +1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 2.584 1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5 The Colorado Rockies are faced with the challenge of advancing in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, after finishing last place in 2022. They didn’t make any major acquisitions, one season after a huge deal signing ex-Giant and Cub Kris Byrant to a multi-year deal. Byrant played only 42 games in his first season in Colorado due to injury. Bryant will have to give the Rockies a big season if they hope to keep up with the competition. Colorado also hopes for solid years from C.J. Cron and third baseman Ryan McMahon, veteran DH Charlie Blackmon is expected to push through with the rule changes for infield shifts. Colorado’s pitching staff has any major arms and will depend on the batters to stay in the games. The team’s farm system is improving but the help they need may be one more year away. Marquez will be sent to the mound for the opening-day assignment against the Padres. Last season, he was tied for the team lead in wins with nine on the season. In 24 career April starts, Marquez has gone 4-9 with an ERA of 4.69. He has played better on the road in his career with an ERA of 3.77 and a 34-30 record.  Marquez went 1-0 with an ERA of 4.50 against the Padres last season. He allowed 14 hits in 12 innings and had a K/9 average of 9.75. Key Injuries: Starting 2B Brandon Rogers may miss all of 2023 as he waits for news on if he needs surgery or not on his dislocated shoulder. MatchPlug Prediction The run line for San Diego Padres VS Colorado Rockies has more value than the money line. The Padres have a good home performance, especially Snell. They went only 9-10 against the Rockies last season, they went 6-3 with them in San Diego. Additionally, San Diego outscored the Rockies 47-27 in San Diego last season. The Rockies did not make much effort to boost their roster during the offseason and is missing second baseman Rogers.  Fans can expect the strong lineup of the San Diego Padres to rack up good numbers against the Colorado Rockies’ suspect pitching staff. Furthermore, the Padres won 5 of their last 6 Opening Day games. For MLB Expert Picks you can trust regarding Padres and Rockies, you can refer to the sportsbooks odds we listed in this preview. Prediction: Padres Spread.

MLB fans can watch Houston Astros VS Washington Nationals live at Fitteam Ballpark, Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, USA. Ahead of the game, we have given our analysis of both teams, using their most recent performance and head-to-head stats as well. We also left odds that show the position of each side in the sportsbooks and who is being favoured. A look at the head-to-head stats for Houston and Washington indicates that – these teams met 5 times and the Nationals won 3 times, while the Astros won twice. The last match which took place last week Friday ended in an 11:7 victory for Washington. MatchPlug has laid out the MLB best bets today for the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals game. Predictions and Betting Preview For Houston Astros VS Washington Nationals MLB Pre-season Venue: Fitteam Ballpark, Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, USA When: Thursday, March 23rd, 2023 Time: 15:05 GMT Teams to play: Astros and Nationals. MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.57 Odds as seen on 1XBet. Betting On The Houston Astros 1XBet Spread:  -1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.57 1XBet Over/Under: Over 8.5 The Houston Astros have had more losses than wins this preseason, and the Nationals aren’t the only team they’ve lost to. They’ve secured two wins and three losses out of the five games they played. Last week they lost thrice in a straight row to the Washington Nationals, New York Mets, and Miami Marlins. They lost 7:11 to the Nationals, 2:0 to the Mets, and 4:5 to the Marlins. However, Houston won Miami on Tuesday 2:1 and New York on Wednesday 2:5. Since the Astros are returning the ill will to past opponents, this matchup will reveal if the Nationals will be the next team to take back the defeat they meted out to Houston. Betting On The Washington Nationals 1XBet Spread: +1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 2.383 1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5 Unlike their opponents, the Washington Nationals have had more wins than losses in the preseason. Three wins, one loss, and one draw makeup their match results out of the five games they played. This past Saturday, they were defeated by the Miami Marlins 0:7, then won the Detroit Tigers 2:1, before defeating the New York Mets 3:2 on Monday. Houston had a 4:4 draw with the St. Louis Cardinals and a current 5:2 victory against the New York Yankees. Today’s game will decide if they will be on the receiving end of Houston’s recent revenge spree or if they’ll be teaching the Astros the same lesson twice in such a short period.  MatchPlug Prediction Washington is in the better position to win the Astros, and it’s mostly because they’ve recorded the most wins the last times these teams clashed, plus the Nationals won Houston not so long ago. However, Houston seemed to have stepped up and even took some time to return the defeats they suffered at the hands of the Marlins and Mets. The Astros may do the same to the Nationals, especially since they already defeated them twice – once last season and again this preseason. For MLB Expert Picks you can trust regarding Astros VS Nationals, you can refer to the sportsbooks odds we listed in this preview. Related Preview: MLB BEST BETS TODAY; Atlanta Braves VS New York Mets Expert Picks

Atlanta Braves VS New York Mets will happen live today at CoolToday Park, North Port, Florida. We have done an examination of both teams who are warming up for the regular season with this MLB preseason matchup.  A look at the head-to-head stats for these two teams shows that – the Braves won most of the matches, including the most recent one which took place on 2nd March 2023, it ended in a 6:2 score.  Last fall when Atlanta and New York met, the Braves won the three times they played securing 5:2, 4:2, and 5:3 scores respectively. As always, MatchPlug is ready with MLB Predictions Today for the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets game. Predictions and Betting Preview For Atlanta Braves VS New York Mets MLB Pre-season Venue: CoolToday Park, North Port, Florida When: Thursday, March 23rd, 2023 Time: 10:05 GMT Teams to play: Braves and Mets. MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.72 Odds by 1XBet. Betting On The Atlanta Braves 1XBet Spread: -1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.72 1XBet Over/Under: Over 8.5 While this may be a practice run for the actual MLB regular season, this reality hasn’t stopped the Atlanta Braves from leading their opponent at 594 points. And Atlanta has been winning their preseason matches so far. On Wednesday, they defeated the Detroit Tigers 5:4, the Tampa Bay Rays 6:5, Minnesota Twins 5:0, Philadelphia Phillies 5:1, and Boston Red Sox 8:0.  It remains to be seen if they’ll add the Mets to their list of conquest for March to continue their unbroken winning streak. Betting On The New York Mets 1XBet Spread: +1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 2.09 1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5 This preseason, the New York Mets have won only two matches out of the five games they’ve played. They beat the Houston Astros last week Saturday by a 2:0 score and the Miami Marlins in a 6:1 win last week Friday. New York lost yesterday to Houston Astros 5:2 in a three-step trail of defeat featuring Washington Nationals 3:2, and St. Louis Cardinals 8:7 on the other end. The Mets have a chance today to either end their losing streak or be another team that will fall to the Braves, who have been on a victory roll. MatchPlug Prediction Atlanta is clearly the team that is in the best position to win this matchup, with their recent victory and the fact that they also dominated the Mets last season in three good times. But, since this is the MLB, anything can happen in today’s game. The New York Mets have tasted victory twice and may have gotten weary of their current string of defeats.  The Mets may step up and send a strong message to other teams using the Braves as an example. For accurate MLB Expert Picks for Braves VS Mets, you can refer to the sportsbooks odds we listed earlier in this preview. Related Preview: MLB BEST BETS TODAY; Houston Astros VS Washington Nationals Expert Picks

Cincinnati Reds VS San Diego Padres joins the extensive list of MLB preseason matches.  They’ll play at the Goodyear Ballpark stadium in Goodyear. Fans should have fun selecting the winners for this matchup and if the chosen winner is the right one. MatchPlug has given an analysis of the MLB Predictions Today, picks, and odds for the Reds VS Padres.  Predictions and Betting Preview for Cincinnati Reds VS San Diego Padres MLB Preseason Venue: Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear, Arizona When: Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023 Time: 18:05GMT Teams to play: Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.77 Odds by 1XBet. Betting On The Cincinnati Reds 1XBet Spread: +1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 2.02 1XBet Over/Under: Over 9.5 The Cincinnati Reds took charge of their games this season, losing only once to the Milwaukee Brewers 3:4 in the last five-game stretch. Furthermore, they overpowered the Angels with a score of 10:0. The fourth frame was decisive, where the Reds scored up to eight points. Cincinnati hit a home run, three doubles, and made 14 hits. It was a great game by the pitchers – the ERA indicators of Lodolo, Sanmartin, and Young did not exceed 2.0 Betting On The San Diego Padres 1XBet Spread: -1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.77 1XBet Over/Under: Under 9.5 The San Diego Padres had a productive game in the face of extreme opposition. They won the Colorado Rockies by 14:2 and led 7-0 by the third inning. They made 19 hits and scored 5 doubles. Additionally, the Padres had another good match where they won over the Brewers 11:6. So, so they worked well in this area. MatchPlug Prediction The guests which are the San Diego Padres are selected by experts to be the favourites for this game.  Both San Diego and the Reds played well in their last match. The offence and defence for both teams were great. But since Cincinnati is in better form, this game might go in their favour.

The winner of Japan VS Mexico will face Team USA for the World Baseball Classic title on Tuesday. So, in this preview, we will be examining the strengths of these two countries and the possibility of one of them winning tonight’s matchup. Mexico for one part has the power of Randy Arozarena and Julio Urías, but Joey Meneses and Rowdy Tellez stealing the WBC spotlight and getting labelled “Team of Destiny” seems to check out.  But, the most challenging match Mexico will play in this tournament will happen tonight in Miami which is the quarterfinal between them and present favourite Japan. There is no team with a higher OPS (.996) or a lower ERA (1.80). MatchPlug discusses this semi-final while examining how bettors should bet. We also laid out some MLB Predictions Today to help you get started on your wagering. Predictions and Betting Preview for Japan VS Mexico Pirates WBC Playoffs Venue: LoanDepot, Park, Miami When: Monday, March 20th, 2023 Time: 16:00 GMT Teams to play: Japan and Mexico MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.4 Odds as seen on 1XBet and BetMGM. Betting On Team Japan 1XBet Spread:  -1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 1.4 1XBet Over/Under: Over 8.5 BetMGM Spread: 1.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 1.40 BetMGM Over/Under: Under 8.5 Shohei Ohtani may have appeared for the last time for Team Japan on the mound in the WBC. This is due to him being scheduled to play in the Los Angeles Opening Day starter on March 30th. Ohtani pitching in the semis or finals would be too close to this game, so he would be the starter for the quarterfinal instead. Roki Sasaki will be starting for Team Japan in place of Ohtani. To put Sasaki’s past WBC starting in perspective; out of 66 pitches, 21 clocked at over 100 mph.  Masataka Yoshida hit a couple of hard-hit balls against Italy, Kensuke Kondoh has been shelling out extra-base hits and walks, while the star himself, Ohtani has been delivering greatness with an OBP of .625. The fine mix of MLB talent and young stars from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league has made Team Japan patient enough to wait till they can destroy another unsuspecting team in the WBC. Betting On Team Mexico 1XBet Spread: +1.5 1XBet Moneyline: 3.032 1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5 BetMGM Spread: +1.5 BetMGM Moneyline: 3.00 BetMGM Over/Under: Over 8.5 Team Mexico hasn’t been tested against the kind of destruction Japan will bring for them in this tournament, except that time they played against Colombia in the opening. Guillermo Zuniga reached 102 mph, going for two strong innings, striking out four and allowing only one hit. That was the only game Mexico lost in this competition (5-4). Patrick Sandoval will begin the pitching for Mexico, he is a Los Angeles Angels left who depends on a sinker that placed top 20 in run value last season (-8), and he is a magician whose curveball spin ranked in the 87th percentile in the league last season. Sandoval is second in the Angels rotation for a good reason, behind Ohtani (this will make today’s game sensational). But, even if Sandoval can muster three or four innings, Japan has shown that there’s nothing they can’t handle. Japan has a pool of talent in a great blend of other outstanding talents who are dangerous in the field, not to mention Shohei Ohtani who has sacked many other countries in the WBC. MatchPlug Prediction Backing the favourite which is Japan, would be the smart thing to do for Japan VS Mexico. One good reason for this is Yu Darvish a world-renowned pitcher on their squad, who emerged in the quarterfinals.  Japan wanted to ensure that Italy couldn’t make a serious comeback. They deployed Darvish who is one of the most dangerous hurlers in MLB this season. He was effective of course, allowing one earned run in two innings of work. Mexico has done well in making it this far in the WBC. However, having Japan as the favourite doesn’t mean this country shouldn’t be given flowers. It only remains to be seen how they’ll fair against Japan.