We head into the weekend with another pair of picks after nailing our previous two picks on Monday. We are getting our first taste of Dodgers/ Padres, they will be front and center on my betting card. Read on to find out who you should be backing for Friday’s edition of Diamond Picks.
Betting Odds provided by Jazz Sportsbook. Please gamble responsibly.
Season Record: 6-2
Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals
With such an exciting lineup that has the potential to do damage every night, one would expect that it has been the offense carrying the Jays to their six wins this season. The offense has certainly heated up lately, 6.6 runs per game over the last five, but better than expected pitching has been the driving force in the early going.
Steven Matz will be on the bump Friday night and will look to build on some newfound confidence with his new squad. He has pitched at least six innings and thrown at least 90 pitches in each of his two starts while giving up a total of two earned runs. In 73 plate appearances versus left-handed pitching, the Royals are slashing an impressive. 292/.338/.508. As for facing Matz in the past, current Royal players are just 6-for-41.
The Royals will have a lefty of their own getting the start. He went just four innings allowing one earned last time out after giving up four over six innings on April 3rd. Despite the uninspiring performances, Kansas City backed him up with enough offense for a pair of wins.
The Jays offense as a whole has yet to be fired up on all cylinders, but two key stars may be heating up the right time to ignite the rest of the lineup. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 10-for-21 with a .714 SLG over his last five games and is now hitting .413 in 13 games this season. Bo Bichette is 8-for-20 with a .850 SLG over the same time frame.
The prospects of having Matz as a viable starter are very exciting for Toronto. The Royals’ offense will be a tough test but getting five solid innings here from Matz is very doable. Couple that with the explosive offense that is starting to come into their own and you have a great reason to take the Blue Jays in game two of this series.
Diamond Pick: Toronto(-120)
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
This game and series is just too exciting to not feature in our write-up. The hype is a bit dumbed down with the game’s most exciting player out due to injury in Fernando Tatis Jr. but there is still plenty of talent for this to be the marquee series of the weekend.
The Padres offense has sputtered a bit out of the gate as they are averaging a 20th ranked 4.18 runs per game. The other numbers such as strikeouts per game, only 6.8 per game, suggest that this is an offense that is more than capable. Wil Myers, as per covers.com carries a questionable tag as he continues to nurse a knee injury. Tommy Pham will need to pick things up, he is just 6-for-42 with no extra-base hits in 13 games.
The Padres will square off against one of the league’s premier pitchers Walker Buehler. Buehler has won both of his starts allowing just two earned over 12 innings of work.
The Dodgers offense ranks as very elite. They are at the top of many categories and are slashing 285/.380/.493. on the season. They will look to pounce on the projected starter, former 2018 7th overall draft pick, Ryan Weathers. Weathers has been very effective in a reliever role, allowing just one run over six innings. There will likely be a cap to how much work the twenty-one-year-old gets in his first official start. The matchup between the Dodgers potent lineup and the stellar Padres full staff will be very intriguing once Weathers exits.
The Prospects of L.A.’s consistent offensive attack to edge out what the Padres can do versus Buehler has me fully committed to take Dodger Blue in this one.
Diamond Pick: Los Angeles(-155)
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