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Three For Thursday – STLCards’ Best MLB Bets & Predictions (4/28/22)

Justin Van Zuiden Thu 4/28 6:53am PT
Image Credit: Imagn

Greetings, SAO readers! Each Thursday, I am going to bring you three of my favorite MLB bets for the day in a quick, easy to read article that we’ll call “Three For Thursday.” 

Only a Seattle meltdown after grabbing a 5-0 first inning lead kept us from a 3-0 day last Thursday, so hopefully that momentum will carry over into a new week.

Let’s see what today’s MLB slate has in store for us!

Free MLB Predictions and Picks for Today

Cincinnati Reds vs. San Diego Padres

There is no doubt that the Reds have an underwhelming offense and have had a woeful start to the season, but I think they will salvage the final game of this series. With the Padres simply looking to get out of town and throwing their worst starter in Nick Martinez, this just feels like a day where the Padres might not be fully focused. That happens in a 162 game season. While Tyler Mahle has been inconsistent to start the year on the Cincinnati side as well, he has a longer track record of success. Relatively speaking, I like the way Cincinnati’s lineup matches up with Martinez, and the return of Jonathan India should at least provide something of a spark going forward. It’s uncomfortable to target the Reds as favorites, but it’s warranted here.

Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals

Offense has started to pick up a little bit over the past few days in baseball, and perhaps the baseballs are changing once again. In any case, Patrick Corbin remains terrible. He’s been terrible for two years running, and he simply gets shelled almost every time he takes the mound. The Giants chased him after seven second inning runs last Friday. The Marlins might carry this over by themselves, as their offense has been clicking a bit of late. On the other side, Trevor Rogers has also struggled this year with an 0-3 record and a 6.94 ERA in three starts. His advanced metrics are poor, and he has a 10/7 K/BB ratio over 11 ⅔ innings. Give me some runs in this one.

Los Angeles Angels vs. Cleveland Guardians

Cal Quantrill is not a great pitcher, and his advanced metrics are ugly so far this year with a 5.85 SIERA and 5.37 xFIP. He has more walks than strikeouts. The Angels are starting to heat up with the bats, and Reid Detmers has shown better ‘stuff’ this year despite a lack of results so far. The Cleveland offense has cooled considerably after a red hot start, and I believe the Angels will roll to a four game sweep this afternoon.