MLB ODDS, MLB PREDICTIONS, MLB PREVIEWS
FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
RICK BOWE MLB FREE PICKS
Tired of losing? Ylose.com is the go-to site for free picks and tons of great content on all sports from our expert handicappers. One of those cappers is the Coach, Rick Bowe. He is a former high school and college football coach who now devotes most of his time to sports writing and handicapping. He brings a unique perspective to handicapping and has enjoyed success across several sports and bet types. Get on the right side of the action with Coach Rick Bowe!
The Coach cashed another Best Bet winner last night as the Giants beat the DBacks and Coach Rick also gave you a winning free pick with the Giants-DBacks F5 Under. He’s got more for you today. Don’t forget to pick up today’s Best Bet, but before you do, here are today’s Quick Picks.
MIAMI @ CHICAGO CUBS (CHC -182, 9.5)
CUBS ML
With yesterday’s game postponed, the Coach is going to carry over this pick from yesterday. The Marlins and Cubs will play a doubleheader on Saturday. Even though they didn’t get to play yesterday, the Marlins are still terrible. There is no doubt about that. Through 19 games this season, Miami has just four wins on the season.
The starting pitchers remain the same today. The Cubs’ Jameson Taillon gets his first start of the season tonight. He went 8-10 with a 4.84 ERA last year. His projected FIP this season is 4.39 to 4.59. He’s no ace, but he’s definitely better than Miami starter AJ Puk. The Marlins lefty has struggled to throw strikes this year. Through 10.2 innings, Puk has walked 14 batters. It’s no surprise that he’s 0-3 with a 5.91 ERA.
The Cubs have won 4 of their last 5 games and 8 of their last 9 at home. They are a Top 5 scoring team in MLB. Miami is just 1-3 SU in its last four games. We’re still not going to overthink this one. Even though there is a bit more juice on Chicago, Coach Rick likes the Cubs ML.
HOUSTON @ WASHINGTON (HOU -170, 8.5)
NATIONALS +145
Justin Verlander gets his first start of the season for Houston. The veteran went through two rehab starts in Double-A and Triple-A. Verlander pitched a total of seven innings and had an ERA of 14.14. Yikes! Despite the large ERA, Verlander’s fastball looked good, clocking in around 94 to 96 mph. The curveball still looks good.
What doesn’t look good for Houston are its hitters. Jose Altuve is the one guy that has remained strong. Altuve leads the majors with a .388 batting average and he’s hit five homers this season. Guys like Alex Bregman are why Houston is just 6-14 so far this season. Bregman hit 41 home runs in 2019 but hasn’t come close since. He’s batting .250 and doesn’t have a dinger yet this season.
Houston will face Washington’s Mackenzie Gore. He’s been awesome so far this season. In three starts, Gore has pitched 16 innings, has 23 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.81. His FIP of 2.45 backs up his stellar performance thus far this season.
The Astros are just 2-9 SU in their last nine games. Coach Rick is wondering why Houston is a -170 favorite on the road going up against Washington’s best pitcher. That’s why the Coach will take the Nationals on the moneyline.
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