Clayton Kershaw threw seven perfect innings before being pulled from the game yesterday. It’s that sort of performance we’re looking for when we make an MLB bet. Kershaw was good for a Dodgers’ first five innnings bet, a Dodgers’ moneyline or run line wager, and even helped the under hit in the game.
With that in mind, here are the MLB odds, schedule, starting pitchers and predictions for Thursday, April 14.
MLB Odds, Schedule and Starting Pitchers
Oakland Athletics vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Run Line: OAK: +2.5 (-165) | TB: -2.5 (+140)
Moneyline: OAK: +180 | TB: -225
Over/Under: 8 (-110)
Athletics vs. Rays Starting Pitchers: Cole Irvin (OAK) vs. Josh Fleming (TB)
Athletics vs. Rays Game Time: 1:10 p.m. EST
Athletics vs. Rays Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.Seattle Mariners vs. Chicago White Sox
Run Line: SEA: -1.5 (+140) | CHW: +1.5 (-165)
Moneyline: SEA: -110 | CHW: -110
Over/Under: 9 (-110)
Mariners vs. White Sox Starting Pitchers: Logan Gilbert (SEA) vs. Jimmy Lambert (CHW)
Mariners vs. White Sox Game Time: 2:10 p.m. EST
Mariners vs. White Sox Location: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Run Line: STL: -1.5 (+155) | MIL: +1.5 (-190)
Moneyline: STL: +120 | MIL: -145
Over/Under: 8 (-115)
Cardinals vs. Brewers Starting Pitchers: Adam Wainwright (STL) vs. Brandon Woodruff (MIL)
Cardinals vs. Brewers Game Time: 5:14 p.m. EST
Cardinals vs. Brewers Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee
Washington Nationals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Run Line: WSH: +1.5 (-185) | PIT: -1.5 (+150)
Moneyline: WSH: +105 | PIT: -130
Over/Under: 9 (-110)
Nationals vs. Pirates Starting Pitchers: Joan Adon (WSH) vs. J.T. Brubaker (PIT)
Nationals vs. Pirates Game Time: 6:35 p.m. EST
Nationals vs. Pirates Location: PNC Park, PittsburghPhiladelphia Phillies vs. Miami Marlins
Run Line: PHI: -1.5 (+155) | MIA: +1.5 (-190)
Moneyline: PHI: -105 | MIA: -115
Over/Under: 8 (-110)
Phillies vs. Marlins Starting Pitchers: Kyle Gibson (PHI) vs. Sandy Alcantara (MIA)
Phillies vs. Marlins Game Time: 6:40 p.m. EST
Phillies vs. Marlins Location: LoanDepot Park, MiamiToronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees
Run Line: TOR: +1.5 (-170) | NYY: -1.5 (+145)
Moneyline: TOR: +115 | NYY: -135
Over/Under: 8.5 (-110)
Blue Jays vs. Yankees Starting Pitchers: Kevin Gausman (TOR) vs. Luis Severino (NYY)
Blue Jays vs. Yankees Game Time: 7:05 p.m. EST
Blue Jays vs. Yankees Location: Yankee Stadium, New YorkLos Angeles Angels vs. Texas Rangers
Run Line: LAA: -1.5 (+110) | TEX: +1.5 (-130)
Moneyline: LAA: -150 | TEX: +130
Over/Under: 8.5 (-110)
Angels vs. Rangers Starting Pitchers: Shohei Ohtani (LAA) vs. Dane Dunning (TEX)
Angels vs. Rangers Game Time: 8:05 p.m. EST
Angels vs. Rangers Location: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TexasDetroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals
Run Line: DET: +1.5 (-185) | KC: -1.5 (+150)
Moneyline: DET: +105 | KC: -125
Over/Under: 8.5 (-110)
Tigers vs. Royals Starting Pitchers: Casey Mize (DET) vs. Zack Greinke (KC)
Tigers vs. Royals Game Time: 8:10 p.m. EST
Tigers vs. Royals Location: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres
Run Line: ATL: -1.5 (+155) | SD: +1.5 (-190)
Moneyline: ATL: -110 | SD: -110
Over/Under: 7.5 (-110)
Braves vs. Padres Starting Pitchers: Charlie Morton (ATL) vs. Joe Musgrove (SD)
Braves vs. Padres Game Time: 8:10 p.m. EST
Braves vs. Padres Location: Petco Park, San DiegoChicago Cubs vs. Colorado Rockies
Run Line: CHC: +1.5 (-175) | COL: -1.5 (+145)
Moneyline: CHC: +100 | COL: -120
Over/Under: 11 (-110)
Cubs vs. Rockies Starting Pitchers: Justin Steele (CHC) vs. Kyle Freeland (COL)
Cubs vs. Rockies Game Time: 8:40 p.m. EST
Cubs vs. Rockies Location: Coors Field, DenverCincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Run Line: CIN: +2.5 (-135) | LAD: -2.5 (+110)
Moneyline: CIN: +220 | LAD: -275
Over/Under: 8.5 (-110)
Reds vs. Dodgers Starting Pitchers: Luis Cessa (CIN) vs. Walker Buehler (LAD)
Reds vs. Dodgers Game Time: 10:10 p.m. EST
Reds vs. Dodgers Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
MLB Predictions Today and Best Bets
Wednesday’s best bets produced two winners with the Blue Jays and Yankees hitting the over, thanks mostly to Vlad Jr., and the Athletics won their game outright against the Rays, something we predicted, even though our best bet was taking Oakland +1.5 runs.
Let’s keep that heater alive with my best bets for April 14.
MLB Best Bet April 14: St. Louis Cardinals +0.5 First Five (-125) vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 5:14 p.m. EST, available at BetMGM
Adam Wainwright showed that he still has it in his first start of 2022 in holding the Pirates scoreless through six innings of work on Opening Day, so I’ll count on him to keep up his run of strong performances against the Milwaukee Brewers today. Last year, Wainwright faced the Brewers four times and held Milwaukee to two earned runs or less all four times, never coming out before the end of the fifth inning.
Taking the 0.5 runs means we don’t have to worry about the Cardinals having a big performance against Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff. As long as Wainwright continues to pitch as well as he usually does when facing the Brewers, a tie is a win for us. I think St. Louis can at least match the Brewers through five innings so we come out with a cash here.
MLB Best Bet April 14: Miami Marlins (-115) vs. Philadelphia Phillies, 6:40 p.m. EST, available at BetMGM
As mentioned above, we rode the logic of backing the better pitcher in yesterday’s Athletics vs. Rays game, and I’ll try the same thing again with Miami today.
Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara didn’t look great in his first outing of the season, but there’s a caveat there: he’s been a much better pitcher at home than he is on the road. Last season, opponents tagged Alcantara for a 4.01 ERA in his starts away from Miami, but his ERA was just 2.41 when he pitched at LoanDepot Park. And today, he gets a home start.
By contrast, Phillies starter Kyle Gibson appears primed for a regression to the mean. First, he struck out 10 batters in his first start of the season, but he is not a strikeout pitcher, averaging less than one per inning over his 11-year career in the Majors. Secondly, Gibson didn’t pitch well the last time he was in Miami as the Marlins tagged him for eight runs in 5.1 innings when they faced off on Sept. 3 of last season.
I like the Marlins to win this one outright behind their ace on Thursday.
MLB Best Bet April 14: Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres Under 7.5 (-110), 8:10 p.m. EST, available at BetMGM
Some pitchers do their best work at certain times of the season, and Padres starter Joe Musgrove appears to produce his best at the beginning of the year. Musgrove has pitched 97.2 innings in March and April in his career, and he’s posted a 2.49 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in those games. In his first year in San Diego last season, he was even better in April, putting up a 1.24 ERA in five starts in the season’s first month.
Beyond that, both Atlanta and San Diego’s aren’t hitting right now. The Padres have scored just three runs in their past two games, and the Braves’ average run total per game is inflated by plating 16 against the Nationals in one outing. Outside of that one game, Atlanta has averaged a mere three runs per contest in 2022.
With both Musgrove and Braves starter Charlie Morton likely to deal in this game, I’m expecting the two offenses will stay cold and taking the under 7.5 runs as my best bet on April 14.
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