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April 7th MLB Odds and Picks – Tigers’ Baddoo, Boyd Hope to Build on Good Starts

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in MLB Baseball

Updated Apr 7, 2021 · 10:21 PM PDT

Akil Baddoo celebrates
Detroit Tigers' Akil Baddoo, right, is greeted by first base coach Ramon Santiago after hitting a walk-off single during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
  • There are 14 games on the MLB schedule on Wednesday April 7th, including 12 that will be played in the day
  • Season record: 6-9 with -$371 loss (based on $100 wagered per unit)
  • See predictions and best bets for Wednesday’s games within the article below

Wednesday’s 14-game Major League Baseball schedule offers plenty for those fans who enjoy day games.

Twelve games will be in natural light, including a doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Nationals in Washington.

Tigers rookie outfielder Akil Baddoo will look to continue the torrid start to his major league career when Detroit hosts the Minnesota Twins. He is 4 for 8 with two home runs and six RBIs.

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds hope to keep piling up runs when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds’ 46 runs through the first five games are a franchise record.

The Reds are also the day’s biggest favorite at -220 with Luis Castillo pitching against Chad Kuhl.

April 7 MLB Picks

Matchup Pick and Odds at DraftKings Units Risked
Twins vs Tigers Tigers +140 1 unit
White Sox vs Mariners Mariners +135 1 unit
Rays vs Red Sox Over 9 (-110) 1 unit

Odds as of April 7th

[promoted-sportsbook]

Pick 1: Tigers to Win +140

Tigers left-hander Matthew Boyd had a bad 2020 season by any standard. He led the American League in losses while going 3-7 with a 6.71 ERA in 12 starts.

Though he did have a few good moments.

Boyd pitched well in both starts against the Minnesota Twins, who won the AL Central. He split two decisions with a 2.25 ERA while allowing three earned runs and eight hits in 12 innings with 14 strikeouts and no walks. The Twins’ team batting average was .190.

Boyd was also sharp on opening day this season. He pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the snow to beat the Cleveland Indians and 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber.

Kenta Maeda starts for the Twins and he was Cy Young runner-up last season. However, the veteran right-hander had an uneven performance on opening day in a no-decision against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Maeda gave up two runs (one earned) and six hits in 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and two walks while struggling to control his slider.

This seems like a good spot for an underdog play as Boyd tries to beat another top starter.

Pick 2: Mariners to Win +135

Though the results were spotty, the Seattle Mariners’ Justin Dunn impressed scouts during spring training. He added velocity to his fastball and showed sharper breaking pitches.

Dunn struck out 15 batters in 11 Cactus League innings. The downside is he walked nine.

Dunn had a solid rookie season last year, compiling a 4-1 record and a 4.34 ERA in 10 starts. However, control was an issue as he had 31 walks in 45.2 innings.

Left-hander Dallas Keuchel had a fantastic first season with the Chicago White Sox in 2020, finishing 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA in 11 starts. However, he wasn’t sharp in his first start this season, getting tagged for six runs in four innings.

Let’s go with the scouts’ intuition over the statistics in this one and take a shot on Mariners and Dunn.

Pick 3: Rays-Red Sox Over 9 (-110)

The first two games of the three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Red Sox in Boston have gone over the total. That includes Tuesday night’s wild 6-5 win by the Red Sox when right fielder Randy Arozerena misplayed J.D. Martinez’s fly ball into a game-winning two-run double in the bottom of the 12th inning.

Both of Wednesday’s starting pitchers are coming good initial outings of the season. Rays left-hander Ryan Yarbrough pitched 5.2 shutout innings against the Miami Marlins and the Red Sox’s Nathan Eovaldi limited the Baltimore Orioles to one run in 5.1 innings.

However, some numbers bode well for taking the over. Yarbrough has a 4.44 career ERA at Fenway Park in six starts and Eovaldi’s lifetime ERA against the Rays is 5.48 in eight starts.


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