Best MLB Bets This Weekend | MLB Picks, April 15-16

We are into the middle of April and there are already some big surprises this early into the 2023 MLB Season. After Friday’s epic games, there are no more undefeated teams left in the league. There will be several big divisional matchups continuing into Saturday’s games.

There will be many opportunities for fans to watch games and place bets for potential big earnings. Here are the top three best games to bet on this weekend with lines, odds, and why the odds are in one team’s favor.

Tampa Bay Rays @ Toronto Blue Jays

• Time: 3:07 PM E.T.     
• Starting Pitchers: Calvin Faucher (TB) vs Yusei Kikuchi (TOR)
• Moneyline: Rays (+100) | Blue Jays (-120)
• Run Line: Rays -1.5 (+160) | Blue Jays +1.5 (-190)
• Total: Over 10 (-105) | Under 10 (-115)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

My Pick: Toronto Blue Jays TOR

The Toronto Blue Jays ended the historic run of the Tampa Bay Rays in the first game of the series on Friday night. The Blue Jays defeated their AL East Divisional rival 6-3 in a surprising game where the Rays were inconsistent at the batting plate. The Rays had eight hits and only one walk, while the Blue Jays had 10 hits and seven walks.

The Blue Jays won a big game despite having a disadvantage with the starting pitching lineup. On Saturday, the Blue Jays will have the pitching advantage with Toronto’s Yusei Kikuchi making his third start of the season while Tampa Bay’s Calvin Fauncher making his first start of the season.

In a series where pitching is set to be a serious factor with both the Blue Jays and the Rays having two of the top batting teams in the AL, it is Toronto that has the edge in this series. The Rays had 10 strikeouts in the first game of the series.

Rays shortstop Wander Franco (team-high 18 hits and 12 RBIs through 14 games) and left fielder Randy Arozarena (17 hits and a team-high 16 RBIs through 14 games) are going the key for the Rays on Saturday. Franco had only one hit in four at-bats while Arozarena has only one hit and one walk while striking out twice in four at-bats in Friday’s loss.

New York Mets @ Oakland Athletics

• Time: 4:07 PM E.T
• Starting Pitchers: Carlos Carrasco (NY) vs Shintaro Fujinami (OAK)
• Moneyline: Mets (-190) | Athletics (+160)
• Run Line: Mets -1.5 (-120) | Athletics +1.5 (+100)
• Total: Over 9.5 (-105) | Under 9.5 (-115)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

My Pick: New York Mets NY

The New York Mets had a great start to the series versus the Oakland Athletics with a dominating 17-6 win on Friday. The Mets had rookie sensation Kodai Senga start in game one of the series was efficient despite a push from a desperate A’s batting team. New York had four different pitchers come in and hold back an A’s team that was looking to establish a solid rhythm at bat.

Up next pitching for the Mets is Carlos Carrasco, who has had a rough start to this season. Carrasco has a season ERA of 11.42 in 8.2 innings pitched. This should be a game where he finds his rhythm and confidence for a more consistent season. This could be a very difficult game for the Athletics to gain some rhythm at the plate as they will face one of the toughest big-game pitchers in the MLB the following day against Max Scherzer.

The Mets’ impressive batting performance on Friday may continue into Saturday after they were able to account for 11 hits and 17 walks while striking out seven times. Among the best performances on Friday was Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who accounted for three runs, two hits, seven RBIs, one home run and one walk while striking out. He could have another impressive performance. This game could be a bounce-back game for Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who had one run, two hits, and two walks but was one of two Mets to strike out twice on Friday.

Houston Astros @ Texas Rangers

• Time:  7:10 PM E.T
• Starting Pitchers: Jon Gray (TEX) vs Hunter Brown (HOU)
• Moneyline: Rangers (+150) | Astros (-175)
• Run Line: Rangers +1.5 (-140) | Astros -1.5 (+120)
• Total: Over 8 (+100) | Under 8 (-120)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

My Pick: Houston Astros HOU

The battle for the state of Texas between two rivals in the AL West has taken a surprising turn so far this season. The Houston Astros are trying to rebound after a rough start to the 2023 MLB Season, while the Texas Rangers are off to a solid start to the season.

On Friday, the Rangers came away with a big win over the Astros thanks to a two-run performance in the third and fifth inning and their pitching team has reliable. Rangers pitcher Martin Perez held his own in his five innings pitched despite allowing two home runs from the Astros. Perez allowed five runs, the two home runs and four walks while delivering four strikeouts. The relief pitchers were even better in the final four innings by only allowing one hit while delivering four strikeouts.

This Saturday, Hunter Brown is set to be the starting pitcher for the Astros, which should be a big boost for a much-needed win. Brown has a season ERA of 3.09, only behind Framber Valdez (1.89) and Jose Urquidy (2.35) of pitchers who have thrown in 10 or more innings this season. Brown has allowed only eight hits, five runs, no home runs and five walks while delivering 12 strikeouts.

Brown should be a great matchup against a Rangers’ batting team that is fifth in the AL in runs (73), but 12th in hits accounted for (108). Texas is also 10th in home runs accounted for (15), sixth in batting average (.247) and eighth in on-base percentage (.315). The Rangers may be put into too many uncomfortable situations with Brown, but the batting for the Astros will have to improve if they want the win.

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