SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking previews Tuesday's MLB betting action and shares the two top picks on his baseball betting card
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Miami Marlins at Atlanta Braves
National League East rivals meet for the second of a four-game series when Atlanta hosts Miami tonight. The first pitch for the Braves vs. Marlins matchup is slated for 7:20 p.m. ET at Truist Park in Atlanta. Miami scored two runs in the 10th inning and defeated Atlanta 5–3 in the series opener last night. These teams met 13 times last year. Including a 29–9 blowout win in September, the Braves posted a 6–4 record during the regular-season series. That was followed by the Braves outscoring the Marlins by an 18–5 combined count during a 3–0 sweep in the NL Divisional Series.
Miami (3–6) is off to a slow start as their offense has been held to three or fewer runs during six of the first nine games. The Marlins opened the season with three games at home against Tampa Bay. Miami lost the first two games (1–0 and 6–4) but avoided a sweep with a 12–7 victory in the series finale. Continuing their homestand, Miami lost three straight games to the Cardinals as St. Louis outscored the Marlins by a 15–3 margin. Miami opened its road schedule with a 3–2 loss and a 3–0 win against the Mets in New York. The third game of that series was postponed due to rain.
Atlanta (4–6) enters this contest on a two-game losing streak. The Braves opened the season on the road and were outscored by a 9–3 margin during a three-game sweep by the Phillies in Philadelphia. The Braves' losing streak extended to four after they lost 6–5 in the first of three contests in Washington. The Braves posted their first two wins (7–6 and 2–0) as they closed the series against the Nationals with a doubleheader sweep. Atlanta opened its home schedule with two wins (8–1 and 5–4) against Philadelphia. The Phillies avoided a sweep with a controversial 7–6 win in the series finale.
RHP Pablo López (0–1, 1.54 ERA) makes his third start for Miami. He allowed two hits, over five scoreless innings, but took a no-decision during the Marlins’ 6–4 loss to Tampa Bay. He gave up two runs during his second start, on three hits over 6.2 innings, but Miami lost 7–0 to St. Louis. LHP Max Fried (0–1, 9.00 ERA) makes his third start for Atlanta. He allowed seven runs on 14 hits over seven innings during his first two starts. Fried allowed just 14 runs, over 56 innings, and was 7–0 during 11 regular-season starts last year. Atlanta averages 3.9 runs per game while Miami has scored 3.2 RPG.
Pick: Game Total UNDER 8 (-110) runs at DraftKings
Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers
National League West action features Colorado and Los Angeles meeting for the fifth time this season. The first pitch for the Rockies vs. Dodgers contest is slated for 10:10 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. These teams opened the season with a four-game series in Denver. The Rockies upset the Dodgers 8–5, as +180 underdogs, during Opening Day action. Los Angeles closed the series with three straight wins as it outscored Colorado by a 21–13 combined count. Including a 4–2 record at home, the Dodgers posted a 7–3 season series win last season against the Rockies.
Colorado (3–7) followed its series against Los Angeles with a three-game set at home against the Diamondbacks, who scored three runs in the top of the 13th inning and posted a 10–8 win in the first game. Colorado earned a 2–1 series win with 8–0 and 7–3 victories during the final two games of the series. The Rockies opened their road schedule with three games in San Francisco. Colorado struggled on offense as the Giants outscored the Rockies 11–4 during a 3–0 series sweep. Colorado was outscored 30–13 during four losses against the Dodgers in Los Angeles last year.
Defending champion Los Angeles enters this contest with an 8–2 record. After their 3–1 series win against Colorado, the Dodgers defeated the Athletics 10–3 and 5–1 before losing 4–3 (F/10) during a three-game series in Oakland. Celebrating their first World Series championship since 1988, the Dodgers defeated Washington 1–0 during their home opener. They went on to sweep the Nationals with 9–5 and 3–0 wins over the final two games of the series. Los Angeles leads the league with a .284 batting average and has outscored its opponents by a 57–34 margin over the first 10 games.
RHP Antonio Senzatela (1–1, 5.56 ERA) is making his third start for Colorado. On nine hits over 3.1 innings, he allowed seven runs during the Rockies' 11–6 loss against the Dodgers. Senzatela had a solid rebound as he allowed four hits, over eight scoreless innings, during the Rockies' 8–0 win against Arizona. RHP Trevor Bauer (1–0, 4.15 ERA) makes his home debut for Los Angeles. He earned the win during the Dodgers' 11–6 victory in Colorado and took a no-decision in the loss against Oakland. The Dodgers are the hotter-hitting team and have an edge in the pitching matchup in this contest.
Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-150) Against the Spread at DraftKings
2021 MLB Regular-Season Betting Record: 4–10 (-6.9 Units)
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