Expert MLB Picks and Player Props for Friday, April 5

Expert MLB Picks and Player Props for Friday, April 5

This article is part of our MLB Picks series.

MLB Bets Today: Expert MLB Picks for 

Friday, April 5

YTD 12-10 (+0.94 units)

Prior article 0-5 (-4.59 units) 

MLB is a marathon and not a sprint for a reason. Because there will be days like last Friday when I went 5-1 and look like a genius. There are also days like Wednesday when I go 0-5 and just get crushed by variance. 

Boston -1.5 loses as the Red Sox get 1 run on 10 hits and win 1-0.

Los Angeles -1.5 loses as the Dodgers give up a solo home run in the 8th and win, 5-4. Giants scored four runs on just five hits

The weather is going to play a big factor in this Friday slate as you will see from the amount of totals I like.

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Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs  

Wrigley Field weather is the trickiest in baseball and often times will have the biggest variance in totals with a low as six runs and as high as 12 runs when the wind is blowing out.

The total is 7.5 because of the 41 degrees and 18 mph winds blowing left to right. Going against the Dodgers with a game total against Kyle Hendricks is not something I want to mess around with. But Bobby Miller has the kind of electric stuff where I can see him blowing through this Cubs lineup in this environment the first time through. 

MLB Picks for Dodgers at Cubs 

  • Cubs UNDER 0.5 runs F3 for 0.75 unit (DraftKings +100)

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Tampa Bay Rays at Colorado Rockies  

The opposite of Wrigley Field today is Coors Field with the altitude but also 75 degrees with 23 MPH winds blowing out, which would give reason to the 12.5 game total. I usually shy away from game totals at Coors when they are this high, but with two pitchers (Zack Littell and Austin Gomber) who do not miss many bats I can see a lot of runners and if we get two home runs in the F5, we get an OVER. Gomber has averaged three strikeouts in his last 12 starts at Coors (Yikes). 

Team totals F5 are becoming very hard to find right now, ESPN was the only one that I could find with it. 

MLB Picks for Rays at Rockies 

  • Rays OVER 3.5 runs F5 for 1 unit (ESPN BET -120)
  • Alternative BET Rays/Rockies OVER 6.5 runs F5 (FanDuel -105)

Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels  

For the time being, I am done laying -1.5 with the Red Sox because their offense just is not clicking, but the pitching is and that is why I will take them at close to EVEN money against the Angels.

The Angels are not a good team and I'm a big fan of Kutter Crawford, who looked solid against the Mariners (six innings, 0 earned runs, three hits, one walk, seven strikeouts). He also has great road splits (5.38 ERA, 1.35 WHIP at home versus 3.66 ERA, 1.09 WHIP away).

MLB Picks for Red Sox at Angels

  • Red Sox ML for 1 unit (FanDuel +100)

Seattle Mariners at Milwaukee Brewers

I thought the UNDER in Guardians/Mariners was a good play Wednesday, but going against the Guardians lineup right now is a bad move. I will go back to the well with another UNDER on the game with Seattle in a game that has 41 degrees as the projected temperature.

Both starting pitchers (Freddy Peralta and Logan Gilbert) are projected for a 0.5 quality start which is in the top three for the slate. I also think both pitchers will go at least six innings, so instead of looking at UNDER 3.5 runs F5, the full game at 7.5 presents better value.

MLB Picks for Brewers at Mariners

  • Brewers/Mariners UNDER 7.5 runs for 1 unit (FanDuel +100)

New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds

This Mets team looks dreadful to the point where even their announcers are pronouncing the season dead already. They have scored 2, 3, 0, 1, 6 and 1 runs. Hunter Greene is a tough pitcher to back because of the walks and home runs he allows, but against this putrid Mets lineup he should be able to mow them down and his OVER strikeout prop is also in play. 

MLB Picks for Mets at Reds

  • Reds ML for 1 unit (DraftKings -125)

MLB Best Bets Today Recap

  • Cubs UNDER 0.5 runs F3 for 0.75 unit (DraftKings +100)
  • Rays OVER 3.5 runs F5 for 1 unit (ESPN BET -120)
  • Red Sox ML for 1 unit (FanDuel +100)
  • Brewers/Mariners UNDER 7.5 runs for 1 unit (FanDuel +100)
  • Reds ML for 1 unit (DraftKings -125)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Rathburn
Known as “Rath” in the Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) community, he has helped run operations for two prominent daily fantasy sports startups. Michael has taken his insider knowledge and expertise in daily fantasy sports to the content side. Rath won the 2016 FSWA "Baseball Article of the Year, Online" award and was a finalist for the FSWA Best Baseball Series in 2011.
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