The weekend will kick off with a full slate of MLB games with the majority of contests set to take place in the evening. We narrowed our focus to three intriguing matchups you will want to consider if you are betting on baseball Friday night. Here is a look at the best bets on the MLB betting slate for Friday.
Boston Red Sox @ Minnesota Twins
Friday, 8:10 PM ET
The Red Sox are coming off a heated series with the rival Baltimore Orioles. While there could be some expected drop in intensity heading in to their series with Minnesota, they will be fortunate to have Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound. Rodriguez has been lights out for Boston with just one earned run allowed in his last 13 innings of work. Rodriguez actually gave up four earned runs in his first start (five innings pitched) but he’s allowed just three earned runs in the 18.1 innings pitched since. The Red Sox might need another dominant performance from him on Friday night as the Minnesota Twins have been playing very well of late.
However, the pitching matchup favors Boston here. The Twins will counter with Phil Hughes, who owns a 5.06 ERA. He has a record of 4-1 on the season but that might be a tad misleading. He has had fantastic run support so far as the Twins are averaging 5.6 runs per start. That isn’t likely to continue. Hughes has given up 14 earned runs in his last four starts. He’ll have a tough time slowing down the Boston offense. Boston can’t afford too much of a letdown following its series with Baltimore and Rodriguez should be able to keep them on track.
MLB Betting Pick: Boston
Cleveland Indians @ Kansas City Royals
Friday, 8:15 PM ET
Kansas City is in a terrible spot after opening the year with just nine wins in its first 26 games. The Royals have produced just 75 runs this season, which is by far the worst mark in the majors. However, Kansas City has played .500 baseball at home and should have a good shot at adding another mark to the win column when they host Cleveland on Friday night.
Josh Tomlin is 2-3 with a 8.87 ERA so far this season, so even the lowly Royals offense should be able to produce against him. Diving deeper into his stats, it’s hard to find the positives. He’s given up at least three earned runs in each of his five starts. While he hasn’t walked many batters – just three walks this season – he has given up a ton of hits. Opponents have connected on 38 hits in just 23.1 innings pitched. That’s a huge red flag. The Indians have won two of his last three starts but keep in mind they’ve had to score 25 runs in those three games to get two wins.
Meanwhile, Jason Hammel hasn’t lasted more than 3.0 innings in either of his last two starts. His job might be on the line when he starts against Cleveland on Friday night, which is not necessarily a good thing. The Royals have lost every single time Hammel has been on the mound this season. He has posted a WHIP of 1.94, which is among the worst for starting pitchers in baseball.
With two struggling pitchers on the mound, the best play in this spot should be the over. It should be a good night for the hitters on both sides.
MLB Betting Pick: Over
Detroit Tigers @ Oakland Athletics
Friday, 10:05 PM ET
The Athletics have struggled of late but that could change with Andrew Triggs on the mound on Friday. Triggs has produced a 1.84 ERA so far this season, holding all but one of his opponents off the scoreboard. Triggs threw six innings of shutout ball in a 2-1 win over the Houston Astros in his last start so he enters this game in excellent form. The same can’t be said for Tigers’ starter Jordan Zimmerman, who has been tagged for five earned runs in three of his last four starts. Zimmerman will enter Friday’s game with a 6.18 ERA so the Oakland offense should be able to give Triggs the support he needs to pick up the victory at home.
MLB Betting Pick: Oakland
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