We have a jam-packed day of baseball ahead of us Wednesday. Let's waste no time getting to a few plays that stand out.
Dodgers (-140) @ Pirates (+120)
We saw plenty of offense in the series opener, with the Dodgers and Pirates combining for 15 runs in a highly contested affair. There's reason to believe we'll see a bunch of runs scored again in the second meeting.
The starting pitcher matchup isn't all that great given the caliber of offenses at hand. Tony Gonsolin will make his season debut for L.A., and he isn't expected to pitch more than four innings. That means we're going to see a lot of a bullpen that used five relievers Tuesday.
On the flip side, Roansy Contreras is a talented but raw arm. He owns a 4.92 xFIP this season and has some red flags in his profile. The 23-year-old has walked nearly 11% of opposing batters and allowed more fly balls than grounders.
That's a little concerning going up against this Dodgers team. They rank second in wOBA and first in ISO versus right-handed pitching. The lineup has a ton of power, but they're also patient. No team has a higher walk rate than Los Angeles (12.4%) against righties.
If Contreras struggles to locate his pitches, the Dodgers will patiently wait until they get the one they want. They're unlikely to chase and give Contreras easy outs.
The Dodgers should score runs here, and the Pirates have it in them to keep up. Pittsburgh slots 10th in wOBA and sixth in ISO against righties. Even without star Oneil Cruz, this team can generate offense.
Expect another back-and-forth affair.
Bet: Over 8.5 (-120)
Logan Gilbert over 5.5 strikeouts (-135)
Gilbert is a strikeout machine for the Mariners. He has sat down 28 batters through four starts, good for an average of seven per outing.
And it's not just one or two great games bringing Gilbert's averages up. He's struck out at least six opponents in each appearance to date.
I like his chances of extending the streak to five games Wednesday against the Phillies. Despite their offense picking it up since a slow start to the season, they're still striking out a lot.
Philadelphia has a 24.8% strikeout rate against right-handed pitchers, tied for ninth highest in the majors.
Look for Gilbert to stay hot in an enticing matchup.
Hunter Brown over 4.5 strikeouts (-140)
We're going to double-dip with the strikeout props and back Brown to get his fair share against the No. 1-seeded Rays.
I generally avoid targeting Tampa in any way, shape, or form, but this is worth making an exception for.
Brown has shown a lot of encouraging signs in the early going of his first full MLB season. He has struck out batters at a healthy 25% clip and made life difficult on opposing hitters when the ball is put in play.
The 24-year-old's soft contact rates are strong, and he's allowing fly balls less than 30% of the time.
Put simply, Brown's keeping the ball on the ground and isn't giving up much hard contact.
He's recorded five-plus strikeouts in every start this season. What makes that especially impressive is the level of competition faced. Brown's last three starts came against the Rangers, Twins, and Braves - three teams leading their respective divisions. And he combined to record 19 strikeouts against them, good for 6.33 per game.
Brown is a tough guy to generate power against, which should allow him to avoid any blowups and pitch relatively deep into the game. If that's the case, five strikeouts really isn't a lot to ask, even against such a strong team.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
