MLB Lines at Week 1: SU Top Betting Picks for Weekend

The first few weeks of the Major League Baseball season almost always feature hot starts from upstart teams. These clubs might soar to an early division lead that lasts all the way to Memorial Day, or even Father’s Day, but regression toward reality starts to set in around then in most cases. The Milwaukee Brewers have been a nice early surprise, starting Pat Murphy’s managerial career off with a 4-1 record. Starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff is out for the whole season, and Corbin Burnes is in Baltimore now, so the starting rotation is green but is getting more exposure with each pass through the rotation. The Boston Red Sox, tabbed in most polls to finish dead last in the AL East, have a 5-2 start. Tyler O’Neill, who came over from St. Louis in the off-season, became the first MLB player ever to hit home runs on five straight Opening Days. The next record in his sights will be the eight total Opening Day home runs that Frank Robinson slugged. Let’s look at a couple of Friday night MLB betting picks with the weekend looming ahead.

MLB Lines Today: Top SU Bets for the Weekend | 2024 MLB Week 1

 

San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants

When: Friday, April 5, 4:35 pm ET

Pitchers: Dylan Cease (0-1, 3.86 ERA) (SD) vs Jordan Hicks (1-0, 0.00 ERA) (SF)

Jordan Hicks faces the Padres for the second time on the young season; down in San Diego, he held the Padres scoreless over five innings, scattering a walk and three hits while striking out six. The bullpen made things interesting, but the Giants held on for a 9-6 win. The Giants are just 2-5 so far, but Jung Hoo Lee has gotten off to a strong start, getting six base hits and three walks in his first 24 trips to the plate. He only swung and missed twice in his first 31 swings overall.

Dylan Cease started opposite Hicks on Saturday and pitched reasonably well, but he failed to make it out of the fifth inning. He gave up three runs (two earned) on a pair of hits and a pair of walks while striking out six, coming out after 4 ⅔ innings. He took the loss because the Padres never drew even after the offenses came alive during the last four innings of the game. The Padres are now 4-5, and James Cronenworth has come alive so far, hitting .286 in his first 39 trips to the plate. He’s in the second year of a seven-season, $80 million contract extension, and he needs to bounce back from a dreadful 2023 season.

MLB Lines: Padres to win

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Houston Astros at Texas Rangers

When: Friday, April 5, 8:05 pm ET | Apple TV+

Pitchers: Hunter Brown (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (HOU) vs Cody Bradford (1-0, 3.60 ERA) (TEX)

Hunter Brown got the start on Saturday at home against the Yankees and laste four innings. He game up two walks and four hits but only allowed one unearned run while striking out five in a game the Astros would lose, 5-3. The Astros started the season by getting swept in a four-game set at home but now have a 2-5 record, including a no-hitter by Ronel Blanco. The offense will come around, but right now the pitching still needs to improve.

The Rangers beat Houston in the ALCS last year, but they had a dreadful record at home against their AL West rivals; they needed to win all four games in Houston to win that series. They also got swept in an ugly series at Globe Life Field in the middle of the 2023 season. So far, the Rangers are off to a 4-2 start, and that includes their 11-2 drubbing of the Cubs on Saturday, Cody Bradford’s season debut. He went five innings, allowing two runs on three hits (including a home run) and a walk while striking out six. The Rangers have shown plenty of offense for the most part this season; can Bradford limit a potent Houston lineup?

MLB Lines: Rangers to win

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