This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
MLB Bets Today: MLB Odds, Picks and Predictions for Friday, April 14
Hello everyone! I'm excited to be writing up my first Best Bets article for this MLB season. We have so many quality writers and handicappers here at RotoWire and I'm honored to be a part the group once again this year. An early look at today's stats tells me it might be a day pitchers dominate. It's Friday and it feels like summer here in the Upper Midwest......let's get to today's full slate!
Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays
Yup, I'm stepping in front of the Rays Express. There is nothing but value on the Jays here as they return home to face the undefeated Rays. I am not taking anything away from Tampa as they are clearly a very good team, but the schedule has broken very favorably for them to start the year with four series against losing teams and three of those series at home. Toronto starter Jose Berrios has been awful to start the year, but a bit of a deeper dive shows his two starts were on the road and in colder conditions. Nobody in the Rays lineup has hit Berrios well and he and his mates should enjoy the friendly confines of the Rogers Centre. I'll take the Jays as a home dog almost every time.
MLB Best Bet for Rays vs. Blue Jays
- Blue Jays ML (+110) @ DraftKings
Atlanta Braves at Kansas City Royals
Charlie Morton has owned the hitters in the KC lineup, holding them to 5-for-41 in his career. The Royals have a hard time scoring anyway, so seeing Morton is not exactly what they need to break out. On the other side, the Braves have been hit by the injury bug early with Orlando Arcia, Travis d'Arnaud, and Michael Harris II all on the IL. I see this being a quick, efficient, and low-scoring contest in Kansas City tonight.
MLB Best Bets for Braves vs Royals
- Braves/Royals UNDER 9 (+100) @ FanDuel
Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers
Interestingly, this is a bit of a pitching mismatch, but not in the direction you might think. Justin Steele is off to a fantastic start to the year, sporting a 0.75 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 12 innings in his two starts so far. Steele has also fared well against this LA lineup; albeit a small sample size, Steele has held Dodger batters to just 2-for-16 and no extra base hits in his career. Dodgers starter Noah Syndergaard does not appear to be the same pitcher as he was in his days as Thor with the Mets. His strikeouts are way down and he has been extremely hittable so far this season. He has fared well against current Cubs batters, so this one has the makings of a close, low-scoring game. Given the value, I'm going to take the Cubs on the ML, but I'll also have a good look at UNDER 8.5 at +115 @ DraftKings.
MLB Best Bets for Dodgers vs Cubs
- Cubs ML (+142) @ FanDuel
Friday MLB Best Bets:
Here's a recap of my best MLB bets for Friday, April 14:
- Blue Jays ML (+110) @ DraftKings
- Braves/Royals UNDER 9 (+100) @ FanDuel
- Cubs ML (+142) @ FanDuel
For up-to-date information on the latest college basketball odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the MLB odds page on RotoWire.
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