MLB Best Bets for Friday
The Cubs and Cardinals are the first games on Friday, with the two NL Central rivals starting at 2:20 PM ET. Then, we have a big matchup between the Yankees and Red Sox, with the first pitch set for 6:30 PM ET. Some other notable games on Friday are the Reds and Brewers and the Rangers and Mariners, who start at 10:10 PM ET.
Moneyline Plays
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Atlanta Braves
Rays (+178) – Braves (-212) | O/U 8.5
On Friday, the Rays (33-36) are the underdog on the moneyline (+178) as they take on the Braves (36-30) at 7:20 PM ET. The over/under line is at 8.5 runs, and the game will be played from Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. Tampa Bay is starting Zack Littell, who is 2-4 with a 3.63 ERA this year. Littell has made 13 starts and has six quality starts this year. The Braves are favored at -212.
Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson have been the Braves’ top power threats this season, with Ozuna’s 18 homers leading the team and putting him 4th in the league. Olson has 10 homers and 37 RBIs. On the other side, the Rays are dead last in scoring, averaging 3.9 runs per game. Yandy Diaz is 9/21 in his last five games, and Isaac Paredes leads the Rays with 10 homers and 38 RBIs.
Chris Sale will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Nationals, as he took the loss and gave up two earned runs. Sale has a 3.01 ERA this season and a WHIP of .94. He is 6-0 with a 3.79 ERA at home. Littell is coming off a rough outing and has given up a homer in three straight starts.
MLB Best Bet: Tampa Bay Rays ML +178
Chicago White Sox vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
White Sox (+149) – Diamondbacks (-178) | O/U 9.0
Chris Flexen is set to start for the White Sox on Friday, and he is 2-5 this season with a 5.06 ERA. Flexen has made 12 starts, and two of them have been quality starts. The White Sox are 18-52 this season, which has them 5th in the AL Central and 27 games behind the Guardians. As the underdog, they are 15-52, including 6-29 on the road. The White Sox are 3-7 over their last 10 games and have lost three of their last four.
Arizona is favored on the moneyline at -178, and they are 33-36 this year, which has them 4th in the NL West. They trail the Giants by one game for the 3rd spot in the division and are 8.5 games behind the Dodgers for the division lead. The Diamondbacks are 8-11-3 in series this year and 15-22 as the underdog.
Offensively, the White Sox are last in the league at 3.1 runs per game, and they are hitting just .217 as a team. Arizona’s offense is 8th in scoring at 4.8 runs per game, and they are 12th in homers. Paul DeJong is 8th in the league with 13 homers for the White Sox, and Gavin Sheets is 14th with seven homers. DeJong and Sheets are tied for the team lead in RBIs.
Ryne Nelson is 3-5 this year with a 5.96 ERA, and he is looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Padres. Nelson went just 3 1/3 innings in that one, giving up five earned runs and one homer. Nelson has given up a homer in each of his last three starts. Christian Walker leads the Diamondbacks with 15 homers, and Ketel Marte has 14. Walker is also 7th in the league with 46 RBIs. Walker is hitting just .242 over his last eight games.
MLB Best Bet: Chicago White Sox ML +149
Kansas City Royals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Royals (+134) – Dodgers (-159) | O/U 8.0
On Friday, the Royals will be sending Cole Ragans to the mound, and he is coming off a no-decision vs. the Mariners. So far, he is 4-4 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. The Dodgers are the -159 favorites, and they are 42-28, which has them in 1st place in the NL West. They are six games ahead of the Padres. Gavin Stone is starting for the Dodgers and is 7-2 with a 2.93 ERA.
Los Angeles has dropped two straight games, and the Royals are 40-30 and trail the Guardians by five games in the AL Central. Kansas City’s offense is 6th in scoring and is led by Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, who are two of the league’s top power hitters. Witt Jr. has 11 homers, and Perez has 10.
Teoscar Hernandez has been swinging a hot bat for the Dodgers, going 7/22 with four homers in his last six games. Overall, the Dodgers lead the league in on-base percentage and OPS. They are also 3rd in homers and 1st in batting average. First pitch is set for 10:10 PM ET.
MLB Best Bet: Kansas City Royals ML +134
Cleveland Guardians vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Guardians (+111) – Blue Jays (-131) | O/U 8.0
Kevin Gausman and the Blue Jays (33-35) are favored at -131 to beat Logan Allen and the Guardians (43-23) on Friday. The over/under line for the game is at 8 runs. Toronto is 4th in the AL East, while the Guardians are in 1st place in the AL Central, leading the Royals by five games.
So far, the Guardians are 21-8 at home and 22-15 on the road. They are 30-14 as the favorite and 13-9 as the underdog. Cleveland has an overall series record of 15-5-2. Toronto is 16-15 at home and 17-20 on the road. They are currently 14.5 games behind the Yankees in the division.
Logan Allen is 6-3 this year with a 5.57 ERA and a WHIP of 1.51. Allen is averaging 7.52 strikeouts per nine innings and has four quality starts. He will be facing a Blue Jays offense that is 25th in scoring at 3.9 runs per game. The Guardians offense is 4th in scoring at 5 runs per game.
Allen will be facing Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is hitting .281 with seven homers. He is 6/33 in his last nine games. Davis Schneider leads the Blue Jays with 32 RBIs but is 4/29 in his last nine games. José Ramírez has 18 homers and 62 RBIs for the Guardians and is 7/25 in his last six games. Steven Kwan is on an eight-game hitting streak.
First pitch is set for 7:07 PM ET, and the game will be on SNET.
MLB Best Bet: Cleveland Guardians ML +111
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Baltimore Orioles
Phillies (+110) – Orioles (-131) | O/U 7.5
Friday’s Phillies vs. Orioles matchup has an over/under line of 7.5 runs, with the Orioles favored on the moneyline at -131. The Phillies are 46-22 and lead the NL East by nine games. The Orioles are 2nd in the AL East and 2.5 games behind the Yankees. First pitch for this one is set for 7:05 PM ET.
Philadelphia’s offense is 2nd in team batting average and 6th in homers. Overall, they are scoring 5.1 runs per game. Baltimore is the top-scoring offense in the league, and they have the best isolated power in the league. Adley Rutschman has 13 homers and 50 RBIs, while Gunnar Henderson has 21 homers and 47 RBIs. Henderson is 8/21 with two homers over his last five games.
On the mound for the Orioles is Kyle Bradish, who is 2-0 with a 2.62 ERA. He is coming off a start where he went six innings and didn’t allow a run. Bradish will be facing a Phillies lineup that has Kyle Schwarber hitting .249 and has two homers in his last nine games. Bryce Harper is hitting .281 and is on a five-game hitting streak.
Ranger Suárez is starting for the Phillies and is 10-1 with a 1.81 ERA. Suárez has a WHIP of .85 and has one complete game shutout. He is 5-0 with a 1.6 ERA at home and 5-1 with a 2.22 ERA on the road. Looking at the Orioles lineup, they are 25th in walk rate.
MLB Best Bet: Philadelphia Phillies ML +110
Detroit Tigers vs. Houston Astros
Tigers (-108) – Astros (-110) | O/U 7.5
Friday’s Tigers vs. Astros game has a first pitch set for 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Astros are the slight moneyline favorite, with their odds sitting at -110, while the Tigers are currently at -108. The over/under line is at 7.5 runs.
Tarik Skubal is starting for the Tigers and comes into the game with a record of 8-1 and an ERA of 1.92. He has 10 quality starts in 13 outings. For the Astros, Hunter Brown is 5-58 this year and has an ERA of 1.52. He has given up 11 homers this season. The Tigers are 33-35 overall, while the Astros are 31-38 and 3rd in the AL West.
Yordan Alvarez has been hot for the Astros, going 8/25 with four homers and 10 RBIs over his last six games. Overall, he is hitting .293 with 14 homers and 35 RBIs. Kyle Tucker leads the Astros with 19 homers and 40 RBIs. Houston is 2nd in team batting average and 12th in runs per game. The Tigers are 17th in scoring and have a team batting average of .231.
As the road favorite, the Tigers are 5-2 this season, and they are 17-15 overall when favored. Houston is 17-18 at home and 24-30 as the favorite. The Tigers are 4th in the AL Central, trailing the Guardians by 11 games. Houston is eight games behind the Mariners in the AL West. The Tigers have gone 9-9-4 in series this year, compared to 10-11-1 for the Astros.
MLB Best Bet: Houston Astros ML -110
San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets
Padres (-113) – Mets (-106) | O/U 8.0
Offensively, the Padres have the edge in this matchup, as they are the top hitting team in the league, with a team batting average of .262. The Mets are 12th in the league in batting average and 13th in runs scored. The over/under line for Friday’s matchup is currently at 8 runs, and the Padres are the road favorite, with the moneyline odds having them at -113.
San Diego is 37-35 overall and trail the Dodgers by six games in the NL West. The Mets are 30-37 and are 15.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. New York is 4th in the division and has gone 11-10 in divisional games. The Mets are 15-23 at home, and the Padres are 18-21 at home.
Matt Waldron is 4-5 this season with a 3.76 ERA, and he will be facing a Mets lineup that has Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo all tied for the team lead in RBIs, with 32. Alonso also leads the team with 14 homers. Waldron is facing a Mets lineup that has gone 6/25 over his last six games. Overall, Lindor is hitting .232 for the season.
Sean Manaea is starting for the Mets and is 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA. He has taken the loss in each of his last three starts and is coming off a start where he went 3 2/3 innings and gave up six earned runs. Opposing batters are hitting .242 off him this season. Waldron is looking to bounce back from a rough outing, and he will be facing a Padres lineup that is led by Fernando Tatis Jr., who has 13 homers this season.
MLB Best Bet: San Diego Padres ML -113
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs
Cardinals (-104) – Cubs (-115) | O/U 8.0
The Cubs are slight favorites on Friday, with the moneyline odds having them at -115 compared to the Cardinals at -104. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and first pitch is set for 2:20 PM ET. St. Louis is currently 33-34 and 6.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cubs are 33-36 and trail the Brewers by 7.5 games.
St. Louis is sending Kyle Gibson to the mound, and he is 4-2 with a 3.76 ERA. He has seven quality starts this year and is facing a Cubs lineup that is 19th in scoring and 19th in batting average. The Cubs have drawn the 5th most walks this year. Gibson’s last outing was against the Rockies, and he went six innings, allowing three earned runs.
Chicago will counter with Jordan Wicks, who is 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA. He has a WHIP of 1.48 and is holding hitters to a .257 average. Wicks has one quality start this year and will be facing a Cardinals lineup that is 24th in scoring and 14th in batting average. The Cardinals are led by Nolan Gorman’s 15 homers, but he is just 2/23 in his last six games.
Christopher Morel is 8th in the majors with 13 homers for the Cubs, but he is hitting just .205. Cody Bellinger is hitting .267 for the season and is 10/31 in his last seven games. The Cardinals are led by Brendan Donovan, who is 8/22 with a homer in his last six games.
MLB Best Bet: Chicago Cubs ML -115
Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Reds (+116) – Brewers (-137) | O/U 7.5
Jeimer Candelario has been swinging a hot bat for the Reds of late, going 12/38 in his last nine games with five homers and 10 RBIs. This has helped him move into a tie for the team lead in homers with 11 and the 2nd most RBIs on the team. As a team, the Reds are 14th in home runs and are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 15th in the league. Their batting average of .226 is 20th in the league.
Spencer Steer is also near the top of the league in home runs, as his seven homers are the 3rd most in the league. He comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak. Steer’s 41 RBIs are the best mark on the team and 11th in the MLB. Collectively, the Reds are 7th in walks and have been good at drawing walks this season.
William Contreras has been red hot at the plate for the Brewers, as he is currently on a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .305 for the season. His 47 RBIs are 6th in the league and lead the Brewers. Willy Adames and Rhys Hoskins have also been good run producers, as they are tied for the team lead with 11 homers. Overall, the Brewers are 3rd in home batting average and are 7th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.3 runs per contest. As a team, they are near the top of the league in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Friday’s moneyline odds have the Brewers as the favorite at -137, while the odds for a Reds win are sitting at +116. The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs, and the game can be seen on BSWI. Hunter Greene is starting for the Reds, and he is facing off against Freddy Peralta for the Brewers.
Cincinnati is 33-35 overall and trails the Brewers by seven games in the NL Central. The Reds are 7-6 against other teams in the NL Central. The Reds have won four straight games on the road, and they are 15-16 as the road team this year. As the underdog, the Reds are 15-22 this year compared to an 18-13 mark as the favorite. Cincinnati’s overall series record is 8-12-2, and they have won two straight series on the road. Their most recent series came vs. the Guardians, and they are 8-2 in their last 10 games overall.
Milwaukee is 40-28 overall and leads the NL Central by 6.5 games over the Cardinals. So far, they have gone 16-8 against other teams in the NL Central. The Brewers are coming off taking two of three from the Blue Jays and are 5-5 across their last ten games. At home, the Brewers are 20-11 this year and have gone 20-17 on the road. Milwaukee has won seven straight games as the favorite, and they are 21-12 overall as the favorite. As for their record as the home favorite, the Brewers are 15-6 this year. The team’s overall series record is 13-7-2 and they have won two straight series.
Hunter Greene has made 13 starts this season and has a record of 4-2 with an ERA of 3.61. In his 13 appearances, he has turned in five quality starts and has a WHIP of 1.15. The last time Greene took the mound, he faced the Cubs and picked up the win, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up four earned runs. He gave up two homers in that outing. Before that, he had given up a homer in three straight starts. Opponents are batting .203 off Greene this season. Per nine innings, he is averaging 9.78 strikeouts and 3.72 walks.
Through 13 starts, Freddy Peralta has a record of 4-3 and an ERA of 3.95. This season, he has made five quality starts and is averaging 11.72 strikeouts per nine innings. Peralta’s last outing came against the Tigers, where he went 3 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs, four hits, and five walks. He didn’t give up a homer in that outing. Before that, he had given up a homer in three straight outings. In his five home starts, Peralta has an ERA of 3.93, compared to 4.55 on the road.
MLB Best Bet: Milwaukee Brewers ML -137
Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners
Rangers (+130) – Mariners (-153) | O/U 7.0
Seattle is favored on the moneyline, with their odds sitting at -153, while the Rangers are at +130. The over/under line is currently at 7 runs, and Texas will be looking to extend their two-game winning streak. Andrew Heaney will start for the Rangers, while the Mariners are going with Luis Castillo.
Seattle is hosting the Rangers today with an overall record of 40-31, which has them leading the AL West by 5.5 games. So far, they have gone 14-5 against other teams in the AL West. The Mariners are coming off a series win, taking three of four from the White Sox.
Left-hander Andrew Heaney gets the start for the Rangers today as he faces the Mariners on the road. He has made 12 starts this year and has a record of 2-7 with an ERA of 4.07. Heaney’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.27. In his last outing, he took the loss, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up three earned runs on five hits. Before that, he had won two straight outings. One of those wins came out of the bullpen. Heaney has made three quality starts this year and is averaging 8.42 strikeouts per nine innings.
Andrew Heaney will be facing a Mariners lineup that is led by Julio Rodríguez and Luke Raley, who have combined for 13 homers. Raley is hitting .261, while Rodríguez is hitting .268. Cal Raleigh is also a key power threat for the Mariners, as his 12 homers are 9th in the league. However, he is hitting just .211 for the season.
Seattle’s offense is averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is 27th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. The Mariners are also the worst team in the league in terms of strikeouts.
MLB Best Bet: Seattle Mariners ML -153
Over Under Plays
Oakland Athletics vs. Minnesota Twins
Athletics (+147) – Twins (-176) | O/U 8.5
Friday’s matchup between the Athletics and Twins will see Mitch Spence starting for Oakland, and he is 4-3 with a 3.68 ERA. The Twins are favored on the moneyline (-176) and are 37-32 overall, while the Athletics are 26-45 and trail the Mariners by 14 games in the AL West. First pitch is set for 8:10 EST, and the over/under line is 8.5 runs.
Minnesota’s starter, Simeon Woods Richardson, is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA and is coming off a start in which he gave up one earned run in 6 1/3 innings of work. As for the Athletics, they have lost six straight series and are 7-14-1 overall. Oakland is 6-2 when favored and 20-43 as the underdog.
Offensively, the Athletics are 29th in scoring, while the Twins are 8th in homers and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. Currently, the Twins are 4th in Isolated Power and 13th in batting average. Minnesota’s top power threats are Carlos Santana and Ryan Jeffers. Santana has 10 homers, and Jeffers leads the team with 12. Jeffers also has 36 RBIs.
Abraham Toro and Brent Rooker have been two of the Athletics’ top power threats, with Rooker leading the team with 13 homers, and Toro has six. Rooker’s 40 RBIs are 12th in the league. First pitch is set for 8:10 EST, and the game is being played at Target Field.
MLB Best Bet: Over 8.5 Runs -104
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
Yankees (-168) – Red Sox (+142) | O/U 9.5
Friday’s Yankees vs. Red Sox game will get underway at 6:30 PM ET from Fenway Park. The Yankees are 49-22 and are starting Luis Gil, who is 8-1 with a 2.04 ERA. The Red Sox are 35-34 and are starting Brayan Bello, who is 6-3 and has an ERA of 4.78. Heading into today’s game, the Yankees are favored on the moneyline.
New York has won six straight series on the road and are 27-12 overall on the road. They are 22-10 at home. Boston is 16-19 at home and 19-15 on the road. The Red Sox trail the Yankees by 13 games in the AL East, and they are 5-8 vs. other AL East teams this season.
Overall, the Yankees are the top-scoring offense in the league, and they are 2nd in homers. Aaron Judge leads the team in homers and RBIs, and he has four homers over his last six games. New York’s offense is also led by Juan Soto. Boston’s offense is 9th in scoring and has a .250 team batting average, which is 6th in the MLB. Boston’s top power threat is Rafael Devers, who has 13 homers and 32 RBIs.
The first pitch is set for 6:30 PM ET, and the game can be seen on NESN.
MLB Best Bet: Over 9.5 Runs +100
