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April 18 MLB Odds and Picks – Bauer, Dodgers Look to Sweep Snell, Padres

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in MLB Baseball

Updated Apr 18, 2021 · 6:35 AM PDT

Trevor Bauer throws pitch
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer warms up prior to a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies Tuesday, April 13, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
  • There are 15 games on the MLB schedule for Sunday, April 18th
  • Season record: 18-27: -$1074 (based on $100 wagered per unit)
  • Wagering advice for Sunday’s games can be found below

A total of 15 games are on the MLB schedule for Sunday and an argument can be made than no team needs a win more than the New York Yankees.

The Yankees have the worst record in the American League at 5-9 after losing the first two games of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. New York will send ace Gerrit Cole (2-0, 1.47 ERA) to the mound against opener Andrew Kittridge (2-0, 1.69) at 1:05pm ET in hopes of ending a four-game losing streak.

Tampa Bay have won 17 of its last 22 games against the Yankees, including beating them in an American League Division Series last year.

The Yankees are -265 favorites, the largest of the day, behind Cole.

April 18 MLB Picks

Matchup Pick and Odds at DraftKings Units Risked
Dodgers vs Padres Dodgers (-120) 1 unit
Mets vs Rockies Mets (-182) 1 unit
Pirates vs Brewers Under 8 (-110) 1 unit

Odds as of April 18th.

Pick 1: Dodgers (-120)

The visiting Los Angeles Dodgers look to sweep an early three-game showdown series in the National League West when they visit the San Diego Padres at 4:10pm ET at Petco Park.

Trevor Bauer (2-0, 2.70) will start for the Dodgers, who have the best record in MLB at 12-2 and are on an eight-game winning streak. Left-hander Blake Snell (0-0, 4.35) starts for the Padres, who have lost four of five games, in a matchup of Cy Young Award winners.

Bauer has been everything the Dodgers hoped when signing him to a three-year, $102-million contract in the offseason. The Padres cannot say the same about Snell, who they acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a winter trade for four young players.

Bauer has been nearly untouchable early in games, giving up just two hits in the first six innings of his three starts while striking out 25. Bauer also has at least nine strikeouts in each game.

Snell did not make it out of the first inning in his previous outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In all, he has logged just 10.1 innings in his three starts, seemingly validating the Rays’ concerns about his durability.

The Padres put heavy emphasis on sending a message in this series following a busy offseason in which they bolstered the roster to try to end the Dodgers’ eight-year reign as division champions. The Padres have lost two close games, including an excruciating finish in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat.

It is easy to see the Padres being flat in this one and Bauer mowing them down.

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Pick 2: Mets (-182)

Marcus Stroman (2-0, 0.73) will look to continue his strong start to the season when he pitches for the New York Mets against the Colorado Rockies and Antonio Senzatela (1-2, 7.07) at 3:10pm ET at Coors Field in the rubber game of a three-game set.

Stroman has come back strong in 2021 after sitting out 2020. Stroman began last season with a torn calf muscle then decided to opt out because of COVID-19 concerns.

He might have wished he had stayed away when the Mets landed in Denver on Thursday night.

With Stroman missing a year, the Mets raised a few eyebrows when they gave him an $18.9-million qualifying offer for this season. However, he has proven to be worth the money so far as he has allowed only one run and seven hits over 12 innings in two starts while walking just two.

The right-hander is a strong No. 2 behind Jacob deGrom in the rotation.

Senzatela has been at both ends of the spectrum in his last two starts. In his most recent outing, he was tagged five runs in 2.2 innings in a loss to the Dodgers. That came after he pitched eight scoreless innings to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Let’s go with the more consistent pitcher in this one, even at a high number on the road.

Pick 3: Pirates-Brewers under 8 (-110)

Deciding to move right-hander Freddy Peralta from the bullpen to the rotation at the start of spring training has paid off big for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Peralta (2-0, 0.69) looks to keep his record perfect when the Brewers host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 2:10pm ET at American Family Field. Chad Kuhl (0-1, 6.75) starts for the Pirates.

Peralta has 24 strikeouts in 13 innings this season. And here is a stat that may surprise you: Peralta has averaged 12.3 Ks per nine innings since breaking into the major leagues in 2021.

Kuhl has been bested by control problem in 2021, with an MLB-leading 15 walks in three starts and 10.1 innings. Based in Pittsburgh, I have seen quite a bit of Kuhl since he broke into the big leagues in 2016 and am stubborn in my belief that he is better than what he has shown this season.

The Pirates won’t score much off Peralta, but the gut feeling is Kuhl will keep it close.

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