The Best MLB Bets For Thursday, April 21

There are ten MLB games Thursday and we’re looking high and low to find the best bets of the day. We have a game between two of the best teams in the majors- the Mets and Giants- and a game between two of the worst teams in the sport- the A’s and Orioles- that will likely be played in front of an historically small crowd. 

Giants @ Mets

The Bet: Giants Moneyline (+120, DraftKings)

The line for this game is a classic overreaction to a few early starts as Mets SP Carlos Carrasco had a miserable 2021 but has looked good in a small sample size in 2022, while Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani was excellent last year but hasn’t lasted long in either of his first two starts this season.

The Mets swept a doubleheader with the Giants after a rainout the day earlier before San Francisco defeated New York 5-2 on Wednesday. The Mets are now 9-4 while the Giants are 8-4. 

You could never get these odds if not for Carrasco’s fast start but we’re not buying it. The Giants are the pick here. 

Blue Jays @ Red Sox

The Bet: Red Sox Moneyline (+102, FanDuel)

The 7-5 Blue Jays will visit the 6-6 Red Sox on Thursday with Kevin Gausman pitching for the Blue Jays and Tanner Houck on the mound for Boston. 

The Red Sox won the first game of the series in Fenway 2-1 on Tuesday but Toronto rebounded with a 6-1 win yesterday. 

Gausman has allowed five runs in 10.2 IP in his first two starts of the season while Tanner Houck did not get out of the fourth inning in his first start of the season against the Yankees but blanked the Twins for 5.2 IP in his second start. The Red Sox aren’t home underdogs every day, so we’re rolling with Boston at +102. 

Orioles @ A’s

The Bet: A’s Moneyline (-128, Bet MGM)

At this point, not only has home field advantage evaporated for the A’s, but it’s arguably a detriment for the young ballclub to play with the embarrassment of only having 2,500 or so fans in the crowd as Oakland did yesterday. 

That being said, the Oakland A’s clearly win the starting pitching matchup here, with Paul Blackburn going up against Baltimore’s starter Tyler Wells. 

There have only been four runs scored in the first two games of this series, which were split. The Orioles have scored exactly one run in three straight games and have only scored more than two runs twice in their last ten contests. Oakland is the play here.