Apr 4, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) celebrates with second baseman Mookie Betts (50) after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Gallery Sports’ Betting Picks for April 15, 2023
Dalton Brown continued his winning ways with a 2-1 record on Friday, improving his season-long MLB mark to 29-18. He’s back with another three picks for Saturday’s MLB action.
3:10 p.m. CT: Milwaukee Brewers at San Diego Padres
The Pick: First 5 Innings UNDER 4.5 (-125) at PointsBet
The San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers will play the third in a four-game series Saturday afternoon at Petco Park, and I think both starting pitchers should continue the success they’ve enjoyed in the early part of this season. Seth Lugo has been a revelation as a starter for San Diego, allowing just two earned runs in 13 innings despite facing respectable offenses in the Braves and Rockies. The righty always desired to be a starting pitcher with the Mets and is so far thriving in that role with San Diego. Last season, he pitched three scoreless innings over two relief appearances against Milwaukee. In his career, he’s pitched 13 innings while allowing just one run against the Brewers. Freddy Peralta, who starts for the Brewers on Saturday, has pitched 12 innings of one-run ball against the Cardinals and Mets so far. The righty has electric stuff and was even better on the road in 2022 (2.51 ERA) than he was at home (4.34). The Padres haven’t seen Peralta since 2019 when he was a reliever, and chillier-than-seasonal temperatures in southern California will also work to our advantage here.
3:10 p.m. CT: Anaheim Angels at Boston Red Sox
The Pick: Angels First 5 Innings (-115) at BetMGM
The Angels and Red Sox will tangle in the second of a three-game series on Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park, and I’m backing starting pitcher Tyler Anderson to help stake Anaheim to an early lead. Anderson, an All-Star last season for the Dodgers, looked great in his first start at Oakland but was less effective in his second start versus Toronto. Boston’s lineup is not as troublesome for left-handed pitching as Toronto’s, though, so I expect an experienced pitcher like Anderson to make adjustments and effectively attack this young Red Sox lineup. On the other side of the coin, Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta is due for major negative regression. Pivetta’s 0.90 ERA through two starts is giving us value here, as the righty has allowed a higher percentage of hard-hit contact than any pitcher in baseball this season and has an xERA of 6.36. Eventually, Pivetta’s going to have to pay the price – and Anaheim’s lineup has plenty of punch to make it happen. The Angels should be a bigger favorite, especially over the game’s first five innings while these starters are in the game.
8:10 p.m. CT: Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers
The Pick: Dodgers team total over 4.5 (-124) at FanDuel
Last season, one of the most profitable bets available was the “over” on the Dodgers’ team total when it was set at any number less than five against right-handed starters. I’m going back to the well on Saturday night as Los Angeles takes on Jameson Taillon, Chicago’s right-handed starter who has struggled through two outings. Taillon has allowed seven runs through nine innings thus far, and the Dodgers’ lineup is once again crushing righties (wRC+ of 130). When Taillon exits the game, Chicago’s struggling bullpen (4.47 ERA) will enter the game behind him. The Dodgers have scored five or more runs in nine of their first 13 games, and are very likely to do so again on Saturday.