MLB Betting Daily Preview (April 22): San Diego Stumbles Into Second Series With Rival Dodgers, Red Sox Look to Produce for Pivetta Again, and More

Thursdays are usually one of the lightest MLB betting days of the week, and that is the case today, with only eight games on today’s schedule.

Still, there is a lot to look forward to today. The start of round 2 between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers tops the list. After the Dodgers took two of three in San Diego last weekend, the NL West rivals are preparing for a four-game series at Dodger Stadium. The 14-4 Dodgers are doing exactly what was expected of them and are currently on pace for a 126-36 record. The 10-10 Padres, however, hit the road after a home sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Yesterday was one of the wildest days thus far in the MLB season. There were three walk-off wins, a capitulation of epic proportions for the New York Mets, and this:

Imagine trying to hit 98 MPH in the ❄️? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/jcav9rZltH

— MLB (@MLB) April 21, 2021

Today is unlikely to reach those heights, because we need a little breather before the weekend, right? But there are a number of intriguing matchups and some great MLB betting value. Let’s take a look at what’s in store.

Thursday, April 22 MLB Schedule

American League

New York Yankees vs Cleveland Indians, 6:10 pm ET: Domingo German (0-2, 9.00 ERA) vs Aaron Civale (3-0, 2.18 ERA)

Seattle Mariners vs Boston Red Sox, 7:10 pm ET: Justin Dunn (1-0, 3.72 ERA) vs Nick Pivetta (2-0, 3.68 ERA)

Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros, 8:10 pm ET: Alex Cobb (1-0, 4.63 ERA) vs Cristian Javier (1-0, 2.08 ERA)

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Cincinnati Reds, 12:35 pm ET: Taylor Widener (1-0, 1.59 ERA) vs Jeff Hoffman (2-1, 2.93 ERA)

New York Mets vs Chicago Cubs, ESPN+, 7:40 pm ET: Joey Lucchesi (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs Trevor Williams (2-1, 5.02 ERA)

Miami Marlins vs San Francisco Giants, 9:45 pm ET: Daniel Castano (0-0, 1.80 ERA) vs Aaron Sanchez (0-1, 2.45 ERA)

San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 pm ET: Ryan Weathers (1-0, 0.93 ERA) vs Walker Buehler (1-0, 2.00 ERA)

Interleague

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers, 1:10 pm ET: Mitch Keller (1-2, 8.74 ERA) vs Jose Urena (0-3, 5.52 ERA)

Thursday, April 22 Top MLB Betting Matchups

All MLB betting odds are via BetOnline Sportsbook. Updated MLB betting odds can be found on our MLB odds page.

You can also find our aggregated industry MLB betting picks for these matchups and all of the day’s other MLB matchups on our MLB picks page.

We also have the latest MLB standings, complete with total standings along with the usual info.

MLB betting odds are as of Thursday, April 22 at 11:55 am ET.

New York Yankees vs Cleveland Indians, 6:10 pm ET

Pitching Matchup: Domingo German (0-2, 9.00 ERA) vs Aaron Civale (3-0, 2.18 ERA)

• Moneyline: Yankees -108, Indians -108
• Total: OVER 8 (+100), UNDER 8 (-122)
• Run Line: Yankees -1.5 (+158), Indians +1.5 (-192)

German is trying to find his feet on the mound, while the Yankees try to find theirs at the plate. This is not a particularly favorable matchup for the Yankees with either of those things in mind. Civale, pitching today after yesterday’s postponed start, is off to a fine start. He doesn’t rack up the strikeouts like Shane Bieber, but his amount of hits (10), walks (5), and hit batters (1) is equal to his amount of strikeouts. That doesn’t bode well for a team that comes into today hitting only .205, which is 29th in MLB.

New York Yankees vs Cleveland Indians Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More

Seattle Mariners vs Boston Red Sox, 7:10 pm ET

Pitching Matchup: Justin Dunn (1-0, 3.72 ERA) vs Nick Pivetta (2-0, 3.68 ERA)

• Moneyline: Mariners +150, Red Sox -180
• Total: OVER 9.5 (-104), UNDER 9.5 (-118)
• Run Line: Mariners +1.5 (-134), Red Sox -1.5 (+112)

The Mariners are hitting only .215 on the season, but they could generate some runs today against Pivetta, who has a 1.64 WHIP in his three starts. That said, he has also gotten some solid run support to offset that, as the Red Sox have scored 32 runs in the games he has started.

Seattle Mariners vs Boston Red Sox Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More

San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 pm ET

Pitching Matchup: Ryan Weathers (1-0, 0.93 ERA) vs Walker Buehler (1-0, 2.00 ERA)

• Moneyline: Padres +148, Dodgers -176
• Total: OVER 7.5 (-106), UNDER 7.5 (-114)
• Run Line: Padres +1.5 (-154), Dodgers -1.5 (+128)

To go into a four-game series against the best team in baseball after having scored all of three runs in three games is, well, not a good thing. But that is the position the Padres find themselves in, as the Brewers completely shut them down.

San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers Matchup: Picks, Odds, Stats and More

Thursday, April 22 Top MLB Betting Lines to Watch

Disclaimer: These are not MLB picks. They are notable MLB betting lines that are either intriguing or stand out as great value.

MLB Betting Sides

• Chicago Cubs -0.5 1st 5 innings vs New York Mets: This is a play that has hit in each of the first two games of this series, and the matchup lines up well for it to again tonight. Williams is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in his two home starts, while Lucchesi is 5-12 with a 5.54 ERA on the road in his career. Last Saturday, he gave up three runs on four hits in three innings in a loss at Colorado. The value is firmly on the side of the Cubs here.
• Cleveland Indians ML & -1.5 vs New York Yankees: In yesterday’s MLB preview, Cleveland’s RL success and Aaron Civale’s 3-0 start were touted as reasons for their RL to be a line to watch against the White Sox. Well, that game was postponed due to snow, and now Civale takes the mound tonight against the Yankees. Throw in the additional factors of the Yankees struggling at the plate and German still searching for his 2019 form, and there is simply too much value here on both the moneyline and -1.5 RL to ignore.

MLB Betting Totals

• Arizona Diamondbacks vs Cincinnati Reds OVER 8.5: Widener and Hoffman are both off to decent starts, but the percentages favor the over here, and so do our daily MLB picks. Nine of Cincinnati’s 11 home games have hit the over 8.5, while four of this season’s five head-to-head matchups have hit the over 8.5. Additionally, 12 of the Reds’ 17 games have hit that mark, while 10 of the Diamondbacks’ 18 games have.
• Seattle Mariners vs Boston Red Sox OVER 9.5: As mentioned above, the Red Sox have scored 32 runs in the three games that Pivetta has started, outscoring the opposition 32-15 in the process. Also, the Mariners have some power and can make the most of that at Fenway Park. 80 percent of our consensus MLB picks back the over in this matchup as well.

MLB Betting Props

• Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers OVER 0.5 1st inning runs: Keller has not escaped the first inning unscathed in any of his three starts. Urena was excellent in his last outing against the Oakland A’s last Friday, but his penchant for putting runners on base–17 hits and 11 walks allowed in 14.2 IP this season) is also something to note here.

Looking for the best places to do some MLB betting today? Check out our online sportsbooks guide, which gives you a rundown of BetOnline, BetMGM, MyBookie and other top legal online sportsbooks.