Best MLB Bets Today: NL Central Teams Look to Continue Strong Starts

The NL Central has heated up early on in 2024, and they have some great matchups today. Our first bet comes from the Marlins' matchup with the Cardinals, in what will be St. Louis’s home opener. The second is between an up-start Pirates team and the re-building Nationals. Both games promise excitement, and there is money to be made.

Below, we’ll share our favorite bets for each game along with insights into each. All odds will be provided by BetMGM Sportsbook, which currently is giving new users a $1,500 First Bet Offer. Simply use promo code WSNMGM and you’ll get your initial bet refunded with bonus bets if it loses.

Now, let's take a look at these two games.

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Best MLB Bets Today: Marlins vs. Cardinals (3:15 PM, EST)

Cardinals -1.5 (+125 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

The Cardinals had a tough road trip to LA to begin the season, but they are set up well to turn things around. This afternoon’s matchup will be their home opener, which they have won in three of the past four seasons. The one they lost came against a very good Toronto team, but that’s not what they’ll face in Miami today.

The Cardinals' offense has been a mixed bag to start the season, but they’ll have a favorable matchup with Ryan Weathers on the mound for the Marlins. The 24-year-old had a rough start to the season, allowing three runs on seven hits over four innings. He was unable to keep runners off the basepaths, and it led to a short and ugly start.

The Cardinals will have Lance Lynn on the mound today. The veteran has been hampered by injuries over the years, but he seemed to bounce back a bit in 2023. Lynn kept that momentum going into his first start of 2024, holding the Dodgers to four hits and zero runs over four innings. He’ll face a much softer Marlins lineup today, and we think he posts another strong outing.

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Best MLB Bets Today: Pirates vs. Nationals (3:05 PM, EST)

Nationals ML (+110 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

Few teams surprised more in the first week of the season than the Pirates, but they will have their hands full today. The National’s lineup has been performing well over their last four games, including against Pittsburgh last night. They have been getting production throughout the lineup, and Washington will have a great chance to keep that momentum going today.

The Pirates will have newly acquired Martin Perez starting today. The former Rangers pitcher is a back-end starter without much upside, as shown by his career 4.43 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Perez started against a bad Marlins team and was shelled. He only allowed one run over 4 ⅓ innings, but he allowed six hits and three walks. He will face a stiffer challenge tonight, and it will lead to a lot of runs.

Washington will have the edge on the mound tonight in Josiah Gray. The 26-year-old broke out in 2023, finishing with a career-best 3.91 ERA. Like Perez, Gray also struggles to keep runners off the base paths, but that hasn’t been an issue against the Pirates in the past. Pittsburgh is a combined 6-33 against Gray, with only Bryan Reynolds finding success. 

The Pirates have been playing well, but they do not have the talent to keep this run-up. We saw them start to crack last night, which means a course correction is coming. We think that starts today, leading to a loss for the Buccos.

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