MLB Bets for Friday, April 9 – Back the Yankees on the Road against the Rays

Apr 09, 2021

SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking previews Friday's MLB betting action and shares the two top picks on his baseball betting card.

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New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays

American League East rivals meet when New York visits Tampa Bay for the first of a three-game series today. First pitch for the Yankees vs. Rays contest is slated for 3:10 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. This is the first of 19 scheduled contests this season. These teams last met in the 2020 AL Divisional playoff round and Tampa Bay posted a 3–2 series win. The Rays dominated the Yankees during the regular season last year. Tampa Bay won the season series 8–2, and six of the wins were by two runs or more. The Rays were 3–1 over four games played at Tropicana Field.

New York (3–3) is playing on the road for the first time this year. The Yankees opened their season with a 2–1 series loss at home to Toronto. The Blue Jays posted a 3–2 (F/10) win on Opening Day, New York rebounded with a 5–3 victory in the second game. Toronto hit two second-inning home runs, and closed the series with a 3–1 win. That was followed by three games against Baltimore. The Yankees posted 7–0 and 7–2 victories in the first two contests. The Orioles avoided a sweep with a 4–3 (F/11) win in the series finale on Wednesday. New York is 2–9 over their last 11 games in Tampa.

Playing a meaningful game in front of hometown fans, for the first time since Oct. 8, 2019, Tampa Bay (2–4) will unveil their 2020 AL East and AL championship banners today. The Rays are looking to snap a four-game losing streak after opening the season on the road versus Miami and Boston. The Rays won the first two games against the Marlins (1–0 and 6–4) before Miami avoided a sweep with 12–7 win in the series finale. That was followed by a three-game sweep in Boston. The Red Sox split a pair of blowout wins (11–2 and 9–2) with a 6–5 (F/12) victory in the second game of the series.

The pitching matchup is fairly even in this contest. Acquired as a free agent, from Texas during the offseason, RHP Cory Kluber (0–0, 2.25 ERA) makes his second start for New York. He allowed one earned run, on five hits over four-innings, and took a no-decision in the Yankees’ 5–3 win against Toronto. After signing a one-year contract in February, LHP Rich Hill (0–0, 9.00 ERA) makes his second start for Tampa Bay. He allowed four runs, on five hits over four innings, and took a no-decision in the Rays’ 12–7 loss to Miami. Backing the hotter hitting team, bet the moneyline and take New York.

Pick: New York Yankees (-137) moneyline at DraftKings

Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook – Game Time 3:10 p.m. ET

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Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves

Meeting for the fourth time this season, Philadelphia visits Atlanta to open a three-game series tonight. First pitch for the Phillies vs. Braves battle is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. ET at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga. These teams opened their season against each other and Philadelphia posted a 3–0 series sweep. the Phillies won 3–2 (F/10), 4–0, and 2–1 during three low-scoring contests. The season series was split 5–5 last season and nine or more runs were scored in six of those games. Atlanta won 11–2 and 6–5, before Philadelphia won 5–4 to avoid a sweep during three games played in Atlanta.

Following a day off for travel, Philadelphia (5–1) is playing their first road game this season. After the sweep against Atlanta, the Phillies hosted the New York Mets for a three-game set. Philadelphia won the first game 5–3 and New York rebounded with an 8–4 win in the second contest. J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm both hit a three-run home runs and Philadelphia posted an 8–2 victory in the series finale. Strong pitching has led the way for the Phillies, as their 2.62 team ERA is fifth best in the league. Philadelphia pitchers have averaged 10.15 strikeouts per nine innings over the first six games.

After opening the season with two three-game series, in Philadelphia and Washington, Atlanta (2–4) had a day off for travel yesterday. Following the sweep in Philadelphia, the Braves lost 6–4 in the series opener against the Nationals on Tuesday. Atlanta finally hit the win column with 7–6 and 2–0 victories during a doubleheader sweep against Washington on Wednesday. As per the rule adopted last year, all doubleheaders are seven inning games again this season. During the first six games, the Braves’ 10th ranked 3.40 team ERA has been offset by their 28th ranked .170 team batting average.

Now in his second year with the Phillies, after five seasons with the Mets, RHP Zack Wheeler (1–0, 0.0 ERA) gets the start Philadelphia. He allowed one hit, over seven scoreless innings, during the Phillies 4–0 win over Atlanta. Wheeler racked up 10 strikeouts and did not issue a walk. After taking the loss in that game, RHP Charlie Morton (0–1, 5.40 ERA) makes his second start for Atlanta. He allowed three runs, on six hits over 5.0 innings, in the first meeting. Five runs or fewer were scored in each of the first three games. A solid pitching matchup points to another low-scoring contest.

Pick: Game Total UNDER 8 (-110) runs at DraftKings