MLB Best Bets for Friday, April 29, 2022

We ended up yesterday only having two plays and went 1-0-1 on them. We got lucky the day before and it balanced out a bit yesterday as the Diamondbacks scored three runs in their final two at-bats to get a push on the team total.

Padres vs. Pirates

Yu Darvish takes the mound for the Padres, and looking at the moneyline we can see there is a clear favorite to the game. For good reason, of course. Darvish is a solid pitcher and first glance on his numbers, you'd be very concerned and think he was having a rough year (4.43 ERA). But, three of his four starts have been quality starts. Remove his appearance against the Giants, and he's gone 18.2 innings and allowed five hits and one earned run. Now he faces the Pirates. I honestly don't care who pitches for them - it is Zach Thompson, someone that is hittable - I'm playing the Padres -1.5 at -110.

Twins vs. Rays

Dylan Bundy last year with the Angels had a 6.06 ERA. He was not a good pitcher. Maybe something has changed since he joined the Twins because his first three starts for them are better than anything he did all of last year. So far, he has gone 15.1 innings and allowed just one run. However, he has allowed 10 hits, which is concerning to me. For the Rays, Corey Kluber is pitching. He's been about what you'd expect from him at this stage of his career. He takes care of the team but doesn't go deep. For a team like the Rays, that doesn't matter because their strength is the bullpen. He just needs to control the opposition for a little while. I'm taking the Rays to win this one as I think Bundy didn't reinvent himself. I think he's just been lucky. Rays at -134.

Tigers vs. Dodgers

Tyler Alexander is starting for the Tigers. He is off to a rough start for his season. He started fairly well against the Red Sox, but he only went one inning against the Yankees and threw 42 pitches. Then the next start was 3.2 innings against the Rockies and he allowed five earned runs. He has the tall task of facing the Dodgers today. I don't think it will get much better for him. I'm taking the Dodgers over 4.5 runs at -130.