Juan Soto @ Arizona Diamondbacks 

• Soto was caught on the wall on Monday against the Cardinals, robbed of his sixth home run on the year. Stick with him, though – he’s homered twice off DBacks starter, Zac Gallen. 

Teoscar Hernandez @ Miami Marlins 

• Hernandez has homered off Cal Quantrill in the past, with his hardest hit registering just over 90 MPH. 

Michael King (SD) vs Clarke Schmidt (NYY) 

Game 2 in the Bronx after the Padres took the opener 4-3 on Tuesday. 

Michael King has picked up where he left off last postseason on the mound for San Diego, pitching to a tidy 2.79 ERA with 46 strikeouts to his name through seven starts. 

The former Yankee knows a thing or two about pitching in the Bronx, but he faces a tough lineup that ranks Top 10 in runs scored and bottom three in strikeout rate over the last seven days. 

With Aaron Judge on pace for another AL MVP nod, I like the Bombers to bounce back with even money on offer. 

Andrew Abbott (CIN) vs Chris Sale (ATL) 

Andrew Abbott is back on the bump for the Reds after throwing four scoreless innings against the Cardinals last week. 

The 25-year-old lefty has been somewhat of a surprise packet in Cincinnati’s rotation so far, which is more than we can say for reigning AL Cy Young winner Chris Sale, who sports a 3.33 ERA through seven starts. 

Given this is a lefty vs lefty matchup, it’s probably worth noting the Reds rank fifth in the league in runs scored against southpaws. 

Paul Skenes (PIT) vs Matthew Liberatore (STL) 

It’s tough to find any positives in Pittsburgh right now. 

The lineup is lacking serious power, and the one bright spot, Paul Skenes, was just roughed up for three earned runs against the Cubs last week. 

The Cardinals’ lineup isn’t quite as potent when it comes to run scoring, but there’s something to be said for Willson Contreras and Victor Scott, who are both hitting well over .350 over the last seven days with a combined three home runs. 

Rafael Devers @ Toronto Blue Jays  

• Raffy owns some great numbers against Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios, including two home runs and three doubles. He’s also gone yard three times over the last seven days. 

Nolan Arenado @ Cincinnati Reds 

• The Cardinals’ third baseman has been struggling over the last week, but he does own a pair of homers off Reds starter Andrew Abbott. 

Colin Rea (CHC) vs Paul Skenes (PIT) 

I might regret this, but I think I’ll take the under on Paul Skenes’ strikeout total in this one. 

The Cubs lead the league in runs scored, and they haven’t been a team that strikes out a whole lot – currently ranking 25th overall. 

Skenes is on another All-Star pace after striking out nine against the Dodgers last week, but he struck out only six in his last two starts against the Cubs. 

Jeffrey Spring (ATH) vs Tyler Mahle (TEX) 

Siding with the Rangers here with Tyler Mahle set to make his seventh start. 

The right-hander is enjoying a career-best season behind a sparkling 1.14 ERA to match 26 strikeouts, while he’s also kept the walks to a minimum with only 13 so far. 

Globe Life is a hitter’s ballpark, but with the A’s holding the eighth-highest strikeout rate over the last seven days, I think this is a good spot to back Mahle’s arm. 

Casey Mize (DET) vs Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) 

Not a bad price here for the Tigers to win outright with Casey Mize on the mound. 

Detroit has gotten great production from their former first round pick this year, the 28-year-old lowering his ERA to 2.12 on the year after giving up only one run against the O’s last week across 5.1 innings of work. 

Mize isn’t a high strikeout guy, so I’ll steer clear of his K total. But with the likes of Kyren Paris and even Mike Trout really starting to cool off in the Angels’ lineup, I think you can back the Tigers H2H and the under on Los Angeles and feel good about it. 

Pete Alonso vs Arizona Diamondbacks 

• Alonso will be a popular play after sending one over the fence in Game 1 yesterday. He’s also taken Corbin Burnes deep on three occasions. 

Alejandro Kirk vs Boston Red Sox 

• The Blue Jays’ big bopper has made life difficult for Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito, going yard three times in just 11 at-bats. 

Chris Sale (ATL) vs Chase Dollander (COL) 

Chris Sale heads to Coors for his first career start after last appearing in Colorado way back in 2011. 

The future Hall of Famer isn’t having quite the same season as his Cy Young campaign last year, but this is still a great spot for the Braves to make up some games against a Rockies outfit that is currently on pace to win something like 24 games all year.  

Given Colorado ranks second in the league in strikeout percentage against lefties, it’s worth backing the Braves to win big, and Sale to rack up the K’s. 

Matthew Boyd (CHC) vs Carmen Mlodzinski (PIT) 

Another good spot to back the Cubs with lefty Matthew Boyd taking the mound. 

The former Tiger has been good without being great this year, although it’s worth mentioning all five of his starts have come against elite NL opponents in the Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Padres (twice).  

This should be a much easier outing against a Pirates team that was shut out last night, coupled with the fact that Pittsburgh ranks second-last in runs scored against lefties. 

Luis Severino (ATH) vs Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) 

There’s some definite value on the A’s here if you’re brave enough. 

MLB’s innings leader, Luis Severino, takes the mound sporting a 3.92 ERA, and he should feel comfortable knowing the Rangers not only rank towards the top of the league in K-rate over the last seven days, but also towards the bottom in runs scored. 

With the Athletics playing above expectations thanks to the bats of Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson, I think there’s a case to be made for them here. 

Jazz Chisholm Jr vs Baltimore Orioles 

• Don’t look now, but Jazz ranks Top 10 in homers. He’s also gone deep against O’s starter Kyle Gibson in the past.  

Elly De La Cruz vs St Louis Cardinals  

• Elly has doubled and tripled in 11 at-bats against Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas, with his hardest hit registering close to 99 MPH off the bat. 

Shota Imanaga (CHC) vs Mitch Keller (PIT) 

After facing the toughest schedule in the league to start the season, the Cubs finally prepare for some NL Central Division play following an off day. 

Imanaga has been the victim of some home runs of late, seeing three go over the fence in last week’s wild win over the Dodgers. Offensively, the Cubs rank second in the league in runs scored against lefties, which sets up an interesting matchup against Pirates southpaw Mitch Keller. 

Two of Pittsburgh’s three games following a day off have gone over the total this year, so that’s the way I’ll be playing this one. 

TBD (ATL) vs German Marquez (COL)  

Happy to pick on German Marquez, who is coming off three rough road outings where he’s allowed a combined 18 earned runs. 

The veteran righty has thrown at Coors only once all year, and although this Braves lineup is struggling at the plate, they have been a slightly better team on the road, ranking Top 15 in runs scored and eighth in homers. 

Garrett Crochet (BOS) vs TBD (TOR)  

Backing Garrett Crochet to bounce back here from an ugly outing last week, where he allowed four runs in five innings to the Mariners at Fenway. 

The Red Sox right-hander owns a perfect 0.00 ERA across three starts in Toronto, pitching six shutout innings at Rogers Centre last year. 

The Jays rank second-last in runs scored over the last seven days and towards the top of the league in strikeout percentage, so this looks a good spot to load up on a few plays. 

Pete Alonso @ Washingtion Nattionals  

• Alonso has homered and doubled in 15 plate appearances against Nats starter Trevor Williams. 

Marcus Semien vs Athletics  

• Semien owns some nice numbers against A’s starter JP Sears, with two of his six hits being home runs. 

Griffin Canning (NYM) vs Trevor Williams (WAS) 

The Mets have been one of the best team in baseball to start the season, led by a rotation sporting a 2.36 ERA, the lowest in the league. 

Griffin Canning has played a huge part in the Mets’ pitching success, lowering his own number last week when he allowed just one run in five innings of work against the Phillies.  

Offensively, Pete Alonso is proving a force at the plate, while New York has also regained some key players off the injured list with Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez returning to the lineup. 

James Wood and the C.J. Abrams can make this a series and help compete with the Mets on the scoreboard, but I still like the under here given how solid New York’s pitching has been. 

JP Sears (ATH) vs Patrick Corbin (TEX) 

The Rangers found a creative way to lose their second game in a row last night, allowing the Giants’ Heliot Ramos to hit a walk-off, little league home run that traveled a grand total of two feet. 

Texas heads back home on Tuesday to host the A’s, a team that has performed slightly above expectations thanks to the likes of Tyler Soderstom and Jacob Wilson, who are both hitting over .300, respectively. 

I’ve picked on Patrick Corbin over the last couple of weeks, but he’s been a reliable piece in the Rangers’ rotation, allowing only six earned runs in three starts. 

Given this is a lefty vs lefty pitching matchup, it’s worth noting both sides rank towards the bottom of the league in runs scored against southpaws, while the Rangers currently rank sixth in strikeout percentage. 

With all that in mind, a low-scoring game with the run total set as high as 9 looks the best play. 

Bryan Reynolds @ Los Angeles Angels 

• Reynolds has been hot with the bat over the last seven days, batting well over .400 with 10 hits and a homer to his name. He’s also taken Tyler Anderson deep in the past.

Adolis Garcia @ Athletics 

• Garcia has only faced A’s starter J.T. Ginn three times, but he did register a hit that came in at 106.1 MPH off the end of the bat.

Bryan Woo (SEA) vs Garrett Crochet (BOS)  

No real shock to find the Red Sox short in the market with current AL Cy Young favourite Garrett Crochet throwing. 

Boston’s big offseason acquisition is sporting a sparkling 1.13 ERA through five starts, lowering that number further last week when he blanked the White Sox through six innings to go with seven K’s.  

As their records suggest, these two sides have been middling clubs to start the year, both struggling to find runs at times. The Mariners rank third in the league in strikeout percentage against lefties though, and only middle of the pack in runs scored, so there’s a definite play to be made on Crochet’s K total. 

German Marquez (COL) vs Michael Lorenzen (KC)  

This is a makeup game following Thursday’s postponement, and it shapes as another rough road start for Rockies starter German Marquez, who has given up a combined 13 earned runs in back-to-back road starts over the last fortnight.

The Royals’ offence still ranks second-last in the league, and Michael Lorenzen is prone to giving up a few runs himself. But with a 6-4 record at home on the year, I still think the Royals are the bet in what could be a high-scoring game. 

Juan Soto vs Philadelphia Phillies 

• Is he out of form? Or is Soto just warming up? Either way, he owns three homers off Phillies starter Zack Wheeler. 

Tommy Edman @ Chicago Cubs  

• Edman owns some nice numbers against Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, including a homer in eight at-bats. He’s also gone deep four times during his career at Wrigley. 

Tomoyuki Sagano (BAL) vs Trevor Williams (WAS) 

Sugano, the O’s rookie right-hander, has put together a tidy resume to kick off his career in the big leagues, compiling a 3.43 ERA across four starts after lasting seven frames last week in a win over the Guardians. 

The 35-year-old has been prone to a home run or two though, which does make this another interesting start going up a slightly dangerous Nats lineup featuring James Wood and CJ Abrams, who have combined for 11 homers on the year. 

It’s only early, but the O’s remain one of the most disappointing teams to start the season as their bullpen holds the eighth-highest ERA in the league. With only four wins from their last 10 games, I could entertain a play on the Nats here as slight outsiders at home.  

German Marquez (COL) vs Michael Lorenzen (KC)  

Another rough road start for Rockies starter German Marquez, who has given up a combined 13 earned runs in back to back road starts over the last fortnight in San Diego and Los Angeles. 

The Royals’ offence still ranks second-last in the league, and Michael Lorenzen is prone to giving up a few runs himself. But with a 6-4 record at home on the year, I still think the Royals are the bet in what could be a high-scoring game. 

Fernando Tatis Jr vs Detroit Tigers  

• Nando has owned Jack Flaherty, sending two balls deep in only 10 at-bats. 

Pete Alonso vs Philadelphia Phillies 

• The Polar Bear is batting .400 against lefties with one home run to his name already this season. He’s also taken Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez deep in the past.  

Dean Kremer (BAL) vs Mitchell Parker (WAS) 

Both the O’s and the Nats have enjoyed a day off, but so far that has caused problems for the Birds with Baltimore posting an 0-2 record.  

Nats lefty Mitchell Parker has been solid through four starts this season, pitching to a 3.61 ERA with only one homer allowed. The Orioles rank bottom of the league in runs scored and Top 10 in strikeout percentage against left-handed pitching, so I think you can build a case here for the Nationals at home. 

Dustin May (LAD) vs Shota Imanaga (CHC) 

Could be another good pitchers’ duel here with May sporting an ERA just over 1.00 and Shota coming off a five-inning shutout against the Padres in San Diego last week. 

Imanaga shut out the Dodgers for four frames when he kicked off the season in Tokyo last month, while May has made only the one start at Wrigley Field, going 5.1 innings two years go where he gave up only two earned runs on as many hits. 

These two high-powered offences could dent the scoreboard, but given the pitching matchup, they might also cancel each other out in a low-scoring Game 1.  

This isn’t a bad spot to bet the A’s with the Rangers sending left-hander Patrick Corbin to the mound.  

The 35-year-old has fared much better in two starts then he did last year, but he did give up three earned runs to a loaded Cubs lineup a few weeks ago, before lasting just over five innings against the Angels.  

This A’s team is still hovering around .500, and although they’ve struggled to score against lefties, they do rank 10th in runs scored over the last seven days. 

Justin Turner @ San Diego Padres 

• Turner owns some nice numbers against Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta, including a pair of doubles and two homers. 

Max Muncy vs Colorado Rockies  

• Muncy has owned German Marquez, sending four balls over the fence in 38 plate appearances. 

Spencer Strider (ATL) vs Chris Bassitt (TOR)  

Bit of a must-watch game with Spencer Strider making his long-awaited return to the mound following a year off due to Tommy John. 

The Braves’ right-hander was the leading NL Cy Young favourite at the start of last season, and although you can expect some rust against a surprisingly good Blue Jays lineup in his first start back, his career 1.35 ERA at the Rogers Centre does make him (and the Braves) a nice bet. 

 Keider Montero (DET) vs Jose Quintana (MIL) 

Not a bad price here for the Brewers with lefty Jose Quintana taking the mound. 

The veteran blanked the Diamondbacks in his first start of the season last week, throwing seven scoreless innings with only four hits allowed. 

Keider Montero, meanwhile, is making his first start of the year in the Tigers’ rotation, and it shapes as a tricky one against a Brewers lineup that ranks second in runs scored over the last seven days. 

Jose Soriano (LAA) vs Patrick Corbin (TEX)  

The Angels haven’t hit lefties very well this year, but I still can’t get on board with Patrick Corbin, who was statistically the worst starting pitcher among qualified starters last season. 

The veteran southpaw gave up three earned runs in a loss to the Cubs at Wrigley last week, where he threw 74 pitches over four innings. 

Whether you think LA’s surprisingly hot start is sustainable is up for debate, but in a homer-friendly park, I still think the likes of Taylor Ward and Mike Trout can get to Corbin and dent the scoreboard. 

Christian Yelich vs Detroit Tigers  

• Yelich holds great career numbers against Tigers starter Jack Flaherty, including a double and a pair of homers in 33 at-bats. 

Randy Arozarena vs Cincinnati Reds  

• Already off to a hot start, Arozarena looks a nice bet with a pair of homers to his name off Reds starter Nick Lodolo.  

 Justin Verlander (SF) vs Jesus Luzardo (PHI) 

There’s just enough value on the Phillies for me to entertain a bet on them here. 

Yesterday’s 10-4 loss wasn’t the start to this series they were hoping for, but Jesus Luzardo does boost their chances significantly on the mound behind a tidy 1.78 ERA through three starts.  

Luzardo has faced some tough lineups already this year in the Dodgers and Braves, compared to future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, who’s looked a little off giving up five earned to the Reds last week.  

All of that, alongside a 5.74 ERA at Citizens Bank Park, makes the Phillies a good play here. 

Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) vs Kevin Gausman (TOR) 

This is probably the best pitching matchup on today’s docket with two bonafide strikethrowers on the mound. 

With a sparkling 0.45 ERA and 19 K’s, Schwellenbach is probably the NL Cy Young frontrunner through the first three weeks of the season, while Gausman is enjoying a bounce back year on the rubber after striking out 10 in eight scoreless innings last week at Fenway.  

It’s the young, bright arm versus the wily old veteran, and although these two sides both feature hot hitters in Ozzie Albies and George Springer, I feel confident in backing the Under if both pitchers produce their best stuff.  

 Shota Imanaga (CHC) vs Randy Vasquez (SD) 

The Padres came back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Cubs in the first game of this series last night at home, and they should feel good heading into Game 2 with most of the lineup already having had a look at Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. 

The Japanese left-hander threw 7.1 innings of one-run, four-strikeout ball when these two sides met to start the month at Wrigley, but his most recent start against the Rangers last week was concerning, giving up five earned and a couple of homers. 

These two sides rank Top 10 in runs scored, so the Over might be another worthwhile play after yesterday’s scoreboard workout. But with the Padres also sitting fourth in runs scored against southpaws, I think the double market holds some serious value.