Best MLB Bets Today: Cashing in on Cross Country Clashes

Today’s bets come from two matchups between teams on opposite ends of the country. The first involves a game between a terrible Marlins team and a surprisingly hot A’s squad. The second comes from a game where a great Phillies team heads west to take on the Giants.

Below, we’ll share our favorite bet for both of these cross-country matchups. All we use will be provided by BetMGM Sportsbook. If you are looking to sign up to wager with BetMGM, be sure to use our promo code WSNMGM to receive a $1,500 First Bet Offer.

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Best MLB Bets Today: Marlins vs. Athletics (4:07 PM EST)

Athletics ML (-125 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

It's hard to believe, but we love the A’s moneyline this afternoon. Oakland has outperformed expectations early on in 2024, and they have been red hot lately. The team took two out of three games on the road in Baltimore before coming home to sweep a decent Pirates team. Over the series with the Pirates, they outscored them 14-3. They are set up well to keep that streak going as they face a horrendous Marlins team.

One of the reasons for the A’s success will be on the mound tonight in Paul Blackburn (2-1, 3.34 ERA). He was hit hard in his previous two starts, but they came against the impressive Orioles and Yankees lineups. Before those outings, Blackburn opened the season with a 20 ⅓ innings scoreless streak that came against the Nationals, Tigers, and Guardians. The Marlins team is twenty-fifth in the league in batting average.

The Marlins are also coming off of a sweep but lost their seven games before that. The sweep came against a Rockies team that has been even worse than Miami. The games were close, with two of them coming in extra innings. While the A’s have been the tire fire of the MLB for some time, they will be far more of a challenge than the Rockies.

The A’s offense is hard to trust, ranking last in the league in batting average and runs scored. However, they have scored 4+ runs in the four games leading up to the series. We see them staying hot against a Miami team starting Trevor Rogers (0-4, 4.31 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) today.

Best MLB Bets Today: Giants vs. Phillies (6:05 PM EST)

Phillies -1.5 (+120 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

After a slow start to the season, the Phillies have emerged as one of the best teams in baseball. The NL East powerhouse is 13-3 in their 16 games leading up to their series with the Giants. Their offense has been a big reason, averaging 5.7 runs during that span. They have been led by monster starts from Trea Turner (.336 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 9 SB) and Alec Bohm (.362 BA, 4 HR, 30 RBI).

The Philadelphia lineup will face a stiff challenge tonight in Keaton Winn (3-3, 3.18 ERA). The second-year Giants starter has been sharp in his second year, allowing only one run in three straight starts. However, those starts came against the Marlins (t-21st in runs scored), Mets (t-21st in runs scored), and Pirates (24th in runs scored). He will have a much more challenging opponent today, bringing his hot streak to a crashing halt.

The Phillies will have Ranger Suarez (5-0, 1.32 ERA, 0.63 WHIP) on the mound. The 28-year-old has had a Cy Young-worthy start over the season's first month. He has allowed just one run to score over his last four appearances and will have a great chance to keep that going against the Giants.

San Francisco’s offense has disappointed in 2024, ranking twentieth in runs scored (121) and seventeenth in batting average (.238). Things haven’t been any better of late, as the team has been held to three or fewer runs in seven straight games heading into their series with the Phillies. 

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