MLB Betting Daily Preview (April 24): Padres Look to Clinch Series Over Dodgers, Cole and Bieber Battle in Cleveland, and More

What a difference a few days can make in MLB betting, and what a difference a few days has made for the San Diego Padres.

After dropping their home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres were swept at home by the Milwaukee Brewers. In the process, they managed all of three runs in three games. So, the Padres headed into a series at Dodger Stadium in terrible form and with Buehler, Kershaw, and Bauer looming.

Two games and two wins later, the Padres enter tonight with a chance to clinch the series against Bauer. In Thursday’s opener, pitching and defense came up huge in a 3-2 win. Last night, more excellent pitching and a power shower led the way in a 6-1 win.

It wasn’t two grand slams, but Fernando Tatis, Jr. hit two solo homers at Dodger Stadium 22 years to the day after his father hit two grand slams in one inning at Dodger Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals.

April 23rd is Fernando Tatis day. pic.twitter.com/uJ6mcQ7Eb5

— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2021

The Dodgers have not had a pleasant week at the plate, but is tonight the night they snap out of it? The latest round of the Padres vs Dodgers rivalry is today’s headliner, but there is also a top-tier pitching duel in the American League. After winning the first two in Cleveland, Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees will look to secure the series against Shane Bieber and the Indians. That matchup features the top two MLB betting favorites for the AL Cy Young, with Cole leading the way at +280 and 2020 winner Bieber on his heels at +350.

Here’s our look at today’s MLB betting slate. Which games and lines offer the best MLB betting value today? Find out below.

Saturday, April 24 MLB Schedule

Click on each matchup to be taken to our MLB matchups page for that particular game. There, you will find odds, picks, stats, and more. We also have NBA betting and NHL betting matchup pages for every NBA and NHL game, so check those out as well.

American League

Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers, ESPN+, 1:10 pm ET: Brady Singer (0-2, 3.77 ERA) vs Matthew Boyd (2-1, 2.03 ERA)

Seattle Mariners vs Boston Red Sox, 1:10 pm ET: Chris Flexen (1-1, 3.38 ERA) vs Nathan Eovaldi (3-1, 3.04 ERA)

Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros, 4:10 pm ET: Griffin Canning (1-1, 5.68 ERA) vs Jake Odorizzi (0-2, 10.57 ERA)

New York Yankees vs Cleveland Indians, 6:10 pm ET: Gerrit Cole (2-1, 1.82 ERA) vs Shane Bieber (2-1, 2.45 ERA)

Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays, 6:10 pm ET: Robbie Ray (0-1, 1.80 ERA) vs Brent Honeywell, Jr. (0-0, 2.70 ERA)

Oakland A’s vs Baltimore Orioles, 7:05 pm ET: Chris Bassitt (1-2, 4.43 ERA) vs Wade LeBlanc (0-0, 5.40 ERA)

Texas Rangers vs Chicago White Sox, FS1, 7:10 pm ET: Kyle Gibson (2-0, 2.53 ERA) vs Dallas Keuchel (1-0, 5.68 ERA)

National League

Cincinnati Reds vs St. Louis Cardinals, 2:15 pm ET: Wade Miley (2-1, 2.25 ERA) vs John Gant (0-2, 3.21 ERA)

Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs, 2:20 pm ET: Freddy Peralta (2-0, 2.00 ERA) vs Adbert Alzolay (0-2, 6.10 ERA)

Washington Nationals vs New York Mets, FS1, 4:05 pm ET: Joe Ross (1-1, 5.87 ERA) vs Marcus Stroman (3-0, 0.90 ERA)

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Atlanta Braves, 7:20 pm ET: Madison Bumgarner (1-2, 8.68 ERA) vs Drew Smyly (0-0, 5.73 ERA)

Philadelphia Phillies vs Colorado Rockies, 8:10 pm ET: Aaron Nola (1-1, 2.19 ERA) vs Antonio Senzatela (1-3, 5.40 ERA)

Miami Marlins vs San Francisco Giants, 9:05 pm ET: Pablo Lopez (0-2, 3.32 ERA) vs Kevin Gausman (1-0, 2.45 ERA)

San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB Network, 9:10 pm ET: Blake Snell (0-0, 4.11 ERA) vs Trevor Bauer (2-0, 2.42 ERA)

Interleague

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Minnesota Twins, 2:10 pm ET: Trevor Cahill (0-2, 9.69 ERA) vs Michael Pineda (1-0, 1.00 ERA)

Saturday, April 24 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.

Seattle Mariners vs Boston Red Sox

• Moneyline: Mariners +180, Red Sox -215
• Total: OVER 9 (-114), UNDER 9 (-106)
• Run Line: Mariners +1.5 (-106), Red Sox -1.5 (-113)

The first two games of this series have been split, with the Mariners winning 7-3 in 10 innings on Thursday and the Red Sox rebounding with a 6-5 win last night. In his last start, Flexen gave up ten hits but only one run in six innings to the Astros last Saturday. He was an unlucky loser, as Seattle’s bats were shut down by Zack Greinke in a 1-0 loss. If he gives up ten hits today, it is not likely to go unpunished again.

Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago Cubs

• Moneyline: Brewers -108, Cubs -108
• Total: OVER 7.5 (-112), UNDER 7.5 (-108)
• Run Line: Brewers -1.5 (+184), Cubs +1.5 (-225)

Over the course of their last six games, the Cubs have had outbursts of 13, 16, and 15 runs. Last night, they put up 15 on the Brewers in a 15-2 win. A similar performance is unlikely against Peralta, who has 31 strikeouts in only 18 IP thus far.

New York Yankees vs Cleveland Indians

• Moneyline: Yankees -130, Indians +110
• Total: OVER 6 (-115), UNDER 6 (-105)
• Run Line: Yankees -1.5 (+146), Indians +1.5 (-176)

The Yankees have found themselves in a 3-0 hole after the first inning each of the first two games against Cleveland, but they came back to win both times. Avoiding an early deficit is a must today against Bieber, who is looking to make it five straight double-digit strikeout outings to open his season. Both Bieber and Cole have had substantial run support in only one start this season. The first team to four runs is likely to win here.

San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers

• Moneyline: Padres +132, Dodgers -156
• Total: OVER 7 (+100), UNDER 7 (-122)
• Run Line: Padres +1.5 (-172), Dodgers -1.5 (+142)

After being swept at home by the Brewers, who would have expected the Padres to win the first two of this series? But they have, and now they are set up to win it with Snell going today and Joe Musgrove going tomorrow. The bullpen blew it for Bauer in this matchup last Sunday, but the bats also failed to generate anything other than a two-run second inning. In a 162-game season, lulls and dips are inevitable, even for the best of the best. But it is still worth noting that the Dodgers have scored 11 runs in six games since scoring 11 in San Diego eight days ago.

Saturday, April 24 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

• Minnesota Twins -1.5 RL vs Pittsburgh Pirates: J.A. Happ pitched 7.1 no-hit innings against the Pirates in a 2-0 win last night, and it doesn’t get any easier for the Pirates today. Pineda has put together three good starts to open the season. In his last start, he allowed only two hits and one walk in seven shutout innings against the Red Sox. He hasn’t pitched since the 15, for what it’s worth, but Happ hadn’t pitched since the 13th, and we see how well things went for him.

MLB Betting Totals

• Seattle Mariners vs Boston Red Sox OVER 4.5 runs in the 1st 5 innings: As mentioned above, Flexen got away with allowing 10 hits in his last start, but the Red Sox are more likely to take advantage of that generosity than the Astros were. Also, the Mariners should be able to get on the scoreboard against Eovaldi, who doesn’t have many scoreless outings to his name with the Red Sox. There were seven runs in the first five last night, and early runs should occur again today.

MLB Betting Props

• Freddy Peralta 7+ strikeouts and the Brewers to win: This is a superior pitching matchup for the Brewers, and they will fancy themselves to even up the series here. Peralta has seven or more strikeouts in each of his three starts without needing to go more than six innings in any start.

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.