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Look below to find our free MLB Picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!
Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees – 1.05PM ET
The Yankees and the Rays run it back today in the second of their 3 match set in New York, and after the 8-2 dismantling the Yankees received in the first, there is some work to be done here.
It was a well needed confidence boost for the Rays who have just hit the road following a disappointing 3 game set at home versus the bottom place Rangers, losing all 3 games quite convincingly.
Another one for the good guys
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 17, 2021
The Yankees bad run continues with the recent defeat, they remain at the bottom of the AL East with a record of 5-8, and now see their head to head record with the Rays increase to 1-3.
From just 3 batters, the Rays scored twice in the first innings, by the end of the 6th they were comfortably 8-0 up. On the other hand, by the end of the 5th, the Yankees had made 3 errors, struck out 9 times, and allowed 6 runs for one of the worst defeats of the season.
Their dominance was such that the Yankees’ fans had seen enough by the time the 7th innings started, and began to hurl projectiles onto the field in an embarrassing display which caused the game to be temporarily halted.
It was a perfect night for the Rays, they have now beaten the Yankees in 16 of their last 21 meetings, and are in good shape to do so again today.
MLB Pick – Tampa Bay Rays (-116)
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Chicago White Sox @ Boston Red Sox – 4.05PM ET
Both looking to rebound from a loss in their most recent game, the Red Sox and the White Sox will face off in Boston on Saturday afternoon.
Boston recently had their nine game winning streak ended in the final match of their seven game road trip, going down to the Minnesota Twins 4-3 thanks to Max Kepler’s ninth inning walk off single.
The Red Sox are currently second in MLB team batting average, hitting at .283. J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts are tied for a team leading 17 hits this season.
Martinez, who has hit five home runs and has collected 39 total bases in just 45 at bats this year, did not suit up in Thursday’s loss to the Twins, but will feature in the Red Sox return to Boston on Friday.
The White Sox are coming off a 2-2 series split against Cleveland in Chicago, winning game one and game three, but most recently dropping the final game of the set 4-2.
With Yermin Mercedes hitting at .500 in his first 10 games of the year, the White Sox are the 14th ranked team in the MLB when looking at team batting average, hitting at .233. Luis Robert and Adam Eaton have added 12 and 11 hits respectively this year.
As it stands, Chicago are the sixth best pitching team in the league when looking at ERA (3.05), whereas Boston’s rotation is currently ranked 11th in the MLB with a team ERA of 3.67. However, the Red Sox will be starting Nick Pivetta on Friday night. Pivetta is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA through his first two starts this season.
MLB Pick – Boston Red Sox (-118)
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Cleveland Indians @ Cincinnati Reds – 4.10PM ET
The Indians and the Reds did battle yesterday in the first game of their 3 match set, and it went worse than expected for the Indians, losing 10-3 for their second 7+ goal defeat in just 3 games.
It was all smiles for the Reds, having just returned home from a lacklustre 6 game roadtrip which saw them win just 2 games, a win yesterday gets them off to a great start with 5 more home games to play.
Their 6-1 home record is the joint best in the league, and despite going 2-4 away from home, they sit atop the NL Central division.
Nicholas Castellanos and Eugenio Suarez had a field day for the Reds, picking up 2 runs each, but Joey Votto stole the show with his 2 run homer which wrapped up a brilliant 7 run, third inning.
Nothing like watching some Nick at Nite. pic.twitter.com/u8oVqepK20
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 17, 2021
Of a total 85 Reds’ runs, 67 of them have been scored at home, with their first 7 home games, the Reds have averaged 9.6 goals per game, and came close to breaking a long standing record dating back to 1990.
It was the 5th match of a 7 game road trip for the Indians, coming into this game after going 2-2 against the White Sox, they are 3-5 from away games this campaign, but still sit in 2nd place in AL Central.
They have struggled offensively so far this season, their 49 runs is the 5th lowest in the league, and almost half as many as the Reds, however, they have only won one less game.
MLB Pick – Cincinnati Reds (-132)
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San Francisco Giants @ Miami Marlins – 6.10PM ET
The San Francisco Giants will be out for revenge today after losing 4-1 on Friday at the hands of the Marlins in Miami.
The Giants were looking to take their solid home form with them on the road, attempting to make 3 on the trot following their back to back wins against the Reds on home soil earlier this week.
Their 8-5 record would put them on top of 3 other division’s in the league, however, in the strong NL West they sit in 3rd place.
It was a somewhat surprising victory for the Marlins who have fared very poorly when playing at home so far this season, the win bringing their record to 2-5.
It didn’t come easily though, with the score all tied up 1-1 deep into the game, up stepped Starling Marte with a huge 3 run homer to run away with the victory. In half as many games, Marte has already equalled his total run total of last season, also notching his second home run of the campaign.
Marte has made a splash so far this season, but Jesus Aguilar has been their best, batting at an average of .333, with a .426 OBP.
The Marlins will be looking at today’s game as a good opportunity to notch another win and get some form going.
MLB Pick – Miami Marlins (-142)
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Minnesota Twins @ Los Angeles Angels – 9.07PM ET
After the Angels put the hurt on the Twins yesterday, the two are set to run it up again today for the second match of their 3 game set.
It was another painful defeat for the Twins, who, after winning 5 of their opening 7 games, are now in a world of hurt, losing 6 of their most recent 7 games.
The 10-3 loss was not only their worst defeat of the season, but also their poorest performance across the park.
The scores did remain quite close for the majority of the game, with the Twins picking up all 3 of their runs in the 6th innings thanks to a 2 run double from Mitch Garver, and a single from Josh Donaldson.
Turtle power 🐢😏 pic.twitter.com/vTq1zeSNRk
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 17, 2021
The Angels had 4 runs by the end of the 6th, however, they came out in the 7th and put in work. Mike Trout pulled out a 2 run single, and Justin Upton emphatically nailed a homer to conclude an epic innings from the Angels.
It was the first match of a 6 game homestand for the Angels, they have done well at home so far, going 5-2, and a win yesterday got things off to the perfect start, they now see their overall record extend to a solid 8-5.
MLB Pick – Los Angeles Angels (-108)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
