MLB Betting Guide for Sunday, April 18
MLB Betting Guide for Sunday, April 18
We’re closing out an exciting third week of baseball, complete with walk-offs, pitchers duels, no-hitters and extra-inning drama. Sunday’s slate of games gives up the perfect ending, filled with non-stop baseball action.
Check out a few games to target.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Spread, Moneyline, Total, and Odds
Moneyline: Dodgers -130| Padres +108
Spread: Dodgers -1.5
Total: 7.5
Odds to Win World Series: Dodgers +350 | Padres +900
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk-free for up to $1,000.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres, Analysis, and Picks
Probables: Trevor Bauer (Dodgers) vs. Blake Snell (Padres)
Projected Lineup
Billed as a preview of what could be the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers look to seal a series sweep against the San Diego Padres, and what a first matchup this weekend has been between the two teams. After an 11-6 win on Friday night, going 12 innings, the Dodgers relied on Clayton Kershaw to carry them to a 2-0 victory, throwing 98 pitches in six innings of work, recording eight strikeouts and surrendering two hits.
For Sunday’s matchup, Trevor Bauer will take the mound for the Dodgers. Bauer has continued his dominance from last season, with a 2-0 record after three starts. His last win came on Apr. 13, as part of a 7-0 win against the Colorado Rockies, going seven innings with nine strikeouts and one hit, as part of a 99-pitch outing. Using his four-seam fastball, he recorded 12 strikes, four Whiffs and a 35% CSW rate.
The National League CY Young award winner, Bauer, a member of the Cincinnati Reds, started 11 games, going 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 35.2% K rate and a 31.4% CSW rate. A master of pitch design, he deploys a four-pitch mix featuring fastball (46%), cutter (20%), slider (18%) and curve (15%), relying heavily on his four-seamer to sit down batters, resulting in a 36.6% K rate and a 27.5% PutAway rate.
Bauer will likely face a Padres lineup featuring Trent Grisham, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado at the top of the lineup. Bauer has had difficulty facing Machado in his career, with Machado batting 0.588 with 10 hits and four home runs, only striking out three times.
Blake Snell will take the mound for the Padres, making his fourth start in his first year with the team. He last pitched on Apr. 13, as part of an 8-4 Pirates win, where he recorded a no-decision, only throwing two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs on three hits, with one strikeout.
A member of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020, Snell started 11 games, going 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 30% K rate and a 30.7 CSW rate. Using a four-pitch mix featuring fastball (46%), changeup (20%), curve (17%) and slider (17%), Snell depends on his breaking pitches to strikeout batters, thrown a combined 258 times last season, his slider and curveball resulted in an average 59.45% K rate and a 28.1% PutAway rate.
He’ll look to regain his footing against a difficult Dodgers lineup featuring Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Max Muncy at the top of the order, with Betts going 7-27 with one home run.
Despite the power bats in both lineups, look for this game to showcase two of the top arms in the majors.
The Bet: Under (7.5)
Baltimore Orioles vs. Texas Rangers Spread, Moneyline, Total, and Odds
Moneyline: Orioles +104| Rangers -122
Spread: Rangers -1.5
Total: 7.5
Odds to Win World Series: Orioles +15000 | Rangers +15000
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk-free for up to $1,000.
Baltimore Orioles vs. Texas Rangers News, Analysis, and Picks
Probables: John Means (Orioles) vs. Kyle Gibson (Rangers)
Projected Lineup
The Orioles look to sweep the series against the Texas Rangers after a 6-1 win on Saturday Night. With a 7-8 record, the team is part of a three-way tie for second in the crowded American League East.
John Means takes the mound for the Orioles, making his fourth start of the season, after a 4-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners, where he recorded a no-decision, throwing an 88-pitch five-inning performance, giving up three runs on five hits with five strikeouts.
Starting 10 games in the 2020 season, Means went 2-4 with a. 4.53 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 23.9% K rate and 28.3% CSW rate. He uses a four-pitch mix featuring fastball (52%), changeup (25%), curveball (13%) and slider (10%). His four-seam fastball tends to be the primarily pitch to strikeout batters, thrown 390 times last season, resulting in a 36.4% K rate and a 19.4% PutAway rate.
Means is looking for his first win of the season and will face a possible Rangers lineup featuring power bats of Nate Lowe, Joey Gallo and David Dahl in the heart of the order. Even with a small sample size, keep an eye on Lowe and Dahl, who have had the greatest success against Means.
Kyle Gibson takes the mound for the Rangers and looks to spoil the Orioles’ chances for a series sweep. The nine-year veteran will make his fourth start of the season and hopes to improve to a 3-0 record on the season. Gibson last pitched on Apr. 13 as part of an 8-3 win against the Tampa Bay Rays, throwing 86 pitches in seven innings of work, allowing two runs on four hits and three strikeouts.
In his second season with the Rangers, Gibson went 2-6 in 2020, starting 12 games, with a 5.35 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 19% K rate and a 28.2% CSW rate. He deploys a diversified four-pitch mix of fastball (49%), slider (24%), changeup (18%) and curve (7%). His changeup is his go-to for striking out batters, thrown 203 times last season, and the pitch resulted in a 31.3% Whiff rate, 27.6% K rate and 23.9% PutAway rate.
Gibson tends to keep the ball on the ground, ranking 11th in groundball rate at 52.4% last season.
Look for Gibson to see an Orioles lineup featuring Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, DJ Stewart and Trey Mancini at the top of the order, with Mancini going 2-8 against Gibson.
With a hot start to the season, look for the Orioles to continue their winning ways, closing out the series with a sweep.
The Bet: Orioles (-102)