Upcoming Match-ups

May 1st MLB Odds and Picks – Cardinals’ Flaherty, Red Sox’s Rodriguez Look to Go 5-0

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in MLB Baseball

Updated May 1, 2021 · 9:13 AM PDT

Coach with hands on shoulder of Jack Flaherty, with teammates surrounding them
St Louis Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux, right, talks with starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, center, during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Monday, April 19, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
  • There are 15 games on the MLB schedule for Saturday, May 1st
  • Season record 36-46: -$1,575 (based on $100 wagered per unit)
  • Wagering advice for Saturday’s games can be found below

Blake Snell will again try to his first win with the San Diego Padres as part of a 15-game schedule in MLB on Saturday.

Snell (0-0, 3.92 ERA) and the Padres host the San Francisco Giants and Anthony DeSclafani (2-0, 1.50) at 8:40 p.m. ET at Petco Park. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a blockbuster offseason trade, the left-handed Snell is winless in five starts.

The Baltimore Orioles’ Matt Harvey (2-1, 4.26) will try to win three starts in a row for the first time since 2018 when he faces the Athletics at 4:07 at the Oakland Coliseum. The Athletics will start lefty Jesus Luzardo (1-2, 5.40).

The New York Yankees are the day’s biggest favorites at -210 against the toothless Detroit Tigers at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees’ Jameson Taillon (0-2, 6.23) will be facing an offense hitting an MLB-worst .199. Spencer Turnbull (1-1, 3.27) goes for the Tigers.

May 1 MLB Picks

Matchup Pick and Odds at DraftKings Units Risked
Cardinals vs Pirates Cardinals (-148) 1 unit
Red Sox vs Rangers Red Sox (-190) 1 unit
Rockies vs Diamondbacks Diamondbacks (-190) 1 unit

Odds as of May 1st

Pick 1: Cardinals (-148)

Unbeaten Jack Flaherty (4-0, 3.19) pitches for the visiting St. Louis Cardinals against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Trevor Cahill (1-2, 7.11) at 6:35 p.m. at PNC Park.

Following a rough outing on opening day in which he was tagged for six runs in 4.1 innings by the Cincinnati Reds, Flaherty has been outstanding. He has gone 4-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his last four starts.

Flaherty is also 6-1 with a 1.89 ERA in nine career starts against the Pirates.

The Cardinals, favorites to win the National League Central, are playing better following an uneven start to the season with six wins in their last eight games. Matt Carpenter has hit pinch three-run home runs in each of the past two games.

Cahill has pitched to one extreme or the other in his four starts in 2021. He has allowed one run in two of his outings and seven runs in his other two games.

He the was good Cahill his last time out, allowing one in six innings to beat the Minnesota Twins. Regardless, Flaherty’s recent dominance and his track record against the Pirates make him the play here.

Pick 2: Red Sox -190

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0, 3.52) starts for the Boston Red Sox on the road against the Texas Rangers’ Jordan Lyles (1-2, 6.75) at 7:05 p.m. at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Rodriguez has been one of the feel-good stories of the season. He sat out last season when he developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscles, following a bout with COVID-19.

Showing no ill effects from the malady, Rodriguez has pitched at least five innings in each of his four starts. He went seven innings his last time out against the Seattle Mariners.

Rodriguez has also been tough on the Rangers with a 3-0 record in four career starts.

It was a headscratcher when the Rangers signed Lyles to a two-year, $16-million contract as a free agent during the 2019-20 offseason. He has provided little return on the investment by posting a 6.94 ERA in 17 games during the last two seasons.

Lyles did not make out of the third inning in his last start against the Los Angeles Angels. Now he must face the AL East-leading Red Sox and J.D. Martinez, whose two home runs on Friday night lifted his season total to an MLB-leading nine.

Like Flaherty, look for Rodriguez to extend his record to 5-0.

Pick 3: Diamondbacks (-190)

The Arizona Diamondbacks host the Colorado Rockies at 8:10 p.m. at Chase Field in Phoenix. Zac Gallen (1-0, 2.16) starts for the Diamondbacks against left-hander Austin Gomber (1-3, 6.65).

Gallen pitched a seven-inning shutout in his previous start last Sunday against the Braves in Atlanta in the first game of a doubleheader. However, the blank job got lost in the shuffle when Madison Bumgarner threw a seven-inning no-hitter in the nightcap.

After beginning the season on the injured list with a hairline fracture in his right forearm that was sustained while taking batting practice during spring training, Gallen is rounding into form.

The 25-year-old might also be one of the best-kept secrets in baseball. With little fanfare, he has posted a 2.72 ERA in his first 30 career starts. He also has a 1.96 ERA in four starts against the Rockies.

The Diamondbacks are hot, too. They have won five of their last six and nine of their last 11, including beating the Rockies 7-2 on Friday night as Josh Rojas homered for the second straight game.

Acquired from the Cardinals on Feb. 1 in the Nolan Arenado trade, Gomber notched quality starts in three of his first four outings. However, he was rocked for nine runs in 1.2 innings by the San Francisco Giants on Monday, allowing seven hits and four walks.

Gomber has had at least four walks in three of his five outings, making him difficult to trust, especially against a hot team and a quality pitcher.

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