The first week of the MLB season certainly provided a few surprises in the American League. The Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels have combined to win nine of their first 12 games to jump out to early leads in their respective divisions. Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays have just one win through six games and could be without their former MVP slugger for their home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. With that in mind, here is a look at our MLB betting picks for Tuesday.
Milwaukee Brewers @ Toronto Blue Jays
Tuesday, 7:07 PM ET
Josh Donaldson received treatment on his injured calf on Sunday and is optimistic that he will be in the Blue Jays lineup on Tuesday. However, whether or not Donaldson will be at his best is another story altogether. Donaldson has hit .348 with two home runs through his first six games and Toronto needs him healthy and in the lineup.
Wily Peralta was excellent in a win over the Colorado Rockies in his season debut but he will face another tough test against the Blue Jays. He last five innings while giving up just three hits and striking out five batters. He didn’t allow a single run.
Meanwhile, J.A. Happ was roughed up by the Orioles in a 3-1 loss in his season debut and will need to be better. Happ went 11-2 with a 2.90 ERA at home last season so he should be in line for a bounce back performance. The home crowd in Toronto will be fired up for this game. If Donaldson is in the lineup, then the Blue Jays should rebound with a win in their home opener.
MLB Betting Pick: Toronto
Baltimore Orioles @ Boston Red Sox
Tuesday, 7:10 PM ET
It’s a little surprising that Baltimore managed to take four of its first five games against the Blue Jays and New York Yankees. It’s even more surprising that they have won games on the strength of their starting pitching, was expected to be the club’s biggest weakness. The Orioles were tied for 26th in runs scored entering Monday’s MLB action. However, their pitching staff ranks 13th in ERA and has been just good enough to squeeze out three one-run wins already.
Dylan Bundy was outstanding in his debut win over Toronto. He gave up just one earned run on four hits over seven innings while striking out eight. Bundy will look to put together another strong performance against a talented Red Sox lineup and the timing of this game could favor Baltimore.
The flu has hit the Boston lineup hard so their offense likely won’t be at full strength on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Drew Pomeranz will make his season debut after dealing with a forearm injury and he could be a little rusty. The Orioles offense is bound to wake up eventually. If it happens on Tuesday then Baltimore could be in line to extend its strong start to the 2017 MLB season.
MLB Betting Pick: Baltimore
Texas Rangers @ Los Angeles Angels
Tuesday, 10:07 PM ET
The Angels made an early statement with an improbable comeback against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday night. Los Angeles rallied from down six runs in the ninth inning to steal a 10-9 win and sweep Seattle. The Angels had scored the third-most runs in the majors through their first seven games and their pitching has been just good enough to get the job done. However, Tyler Skaggs was rocked in his regular season debut, giving up five earned runs over 5.1 innings in a 5-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics. Looking ahead to Tuesday, it won’t get any easier for Skaggs against Texas. The Rangers offense has struggled with consistency out of the gate but they have too much talent to continue to struggle.
Cole Hamels was also roughed up in his debut against the Cleveland Indians. However, he was pretty good against the Angels last season and should be in line for a bounce back performance. He posted a 3.71 ERA against them in three meetings last season while holding them to a .254 batting average.
There is also the possibility that Los Angeles suffers a letdown following Sunday’s rally. The Angels are off to an excellent start, so perhaps they are in line for a little regression entering their series with the Rangers.
MLB Betting Pick: Texas
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