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Hopefully, you backed our MLB picks on Monday, as we cashed on a pair of underdogs to begin the week. Let's add to it with our best bets from Tuesday's slate.
Atlanta Braves (-180) at Boston Red Sox (+160)
Starting pitchers: Ian Anderson (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Kyle Hart (0-1, 13.00 ERA)
This is one of the most exciting matchups all year, if you're a Braves bettor. After scoring 12 runs on Sunday, Atlanta feasted Monday on Red Sox starter Colten Brewer, chasing him in the top of the fifth inning after plating five runs to that point. To the chagrin of Boston fans, Hart is even worse.
The rookie has allowed 15 runs (13 earned) and 27 baserunners through his first three starts, all of which ended before the fourth inning. After his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays, who tagged him for four first-inning runs, he said he's "not as good as (he) thought" and he has to "reinvent (himself)" to keep his starting spot, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo.
If he suffers another short stint on Tuesday, it'll only expose the weaknesses of Boston's bullpen, which boasts the fifth-worst ERA (5.28) in the majors and lost closer Brandon Workman earlier this month.
Anderson, meanwhile, carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his one-hit, six-strikeout debut against the New York Yankees on Wednesday. If they couldn't get to him, it's hard to imagine Boston's inconsistent lineup faring much better.
Pick: Braves -1.5 (-120)
Chicago White Sox (-115) at Minnesota Twins (-105)
Starting pitchers: Dallas Keuchel (5-2, 2.70 ERA) vs. Michael Pineda (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Keuchel is just waiting to get rocked. The White Sox veteran owns his lowest hard-hit rate, according to Statcast (31.2%), since his Cy Young season in 2015, but his xERA (4.95) - which is based on the quality of contact allowed - is his worst during that period. According to Fangraphs, which is a bit more generous with its definition of a hard-hit ball, he's getting hit harder than he ever has in his nine-year career.
He also owns his worst strikeout rate (14.9%) since his rookie season, which coincides with decreased velocity and movement on all five of his pitches. Yet, despite all of that, he's survived all seven of his starts without allowing more than three runs.
That will change Tuesday against the Twins, who hung four runs in the first three innings on ace Lucas Giolito and are among the best in the league at seizing contact in the zone, which is Keuchel's entire approach on the mound.
It's hard to know what Pineda will look like nearly a year removed from his last start, but he started slowly last year and has a tendency to get hit hard. That should be music to Chicago's ears. These lineups are too good to waste their chances against shaky pitching.
Pick: Over 9 (-115)
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.
