Welcome to another Saturday in MLB! As usual, we have plenty of betting value, as 15 games are featured across the slate, including nine games after 7 p.m. ET.
We are going to focus on just two evening games, though — one featuring two teams heading in different directions and the other consisting of a future Hall of Fame pitcher.
Our experts have their favorite picks below from both National League battles.
MLB Odds & Picks
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals
Kenny Ducey: In a game like this, you simply have to take the better of the two offenses, with both pitchers (Dakota Hudson and Erick Fedde) producing similarly disappointing results.
The Cardinals are smacking the ball at the moment — not just from a production standpoint, but also by judging their exit velocity and barrels.
St. Louis has done a far better job of making meaningful contact and is also walking more.
The decision is pretty easy for me here, considering Washington lacks the power to make any sort of impact against Hudson.
I’m also encouraged by the Cardinals’ lack of ground balls, which will do them very well here.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies
Jules Posner: The Los Angeles Dodgers look to clinch a series victory Saturday night against the Colorado Rockies, and they seem well positioned to do so.
Clayton Kershaw looks to bounce back from a shaky start and shut down a Rockies offense that has struggled against LHP at home over the past month.
While anything can happen at Coors Field, the fact that the Rockies only have a 96 team wRC+ against LHP at home over the past month means they are not the ones providing the offense at home.
However, Kyle Freeland has been providing some offense at Coors.
Unfortunately he's a pitcher, and he's not supposed to do that.
He has a 5.66 ERA, with a 5.04 FIP and a 4.85 xFIP at home this season. He'll be taking on the second-best road offense against LHP over the past month in terms of wRC+, which means he's going to have his hands full.
While the Rockies' bullpen has improved, they are still inconsistent. If they are called upon early to stop any rallies, they are not a lock to do that.
The Dodgers runline opened at -1.5 for -140ish odds. However, it can be found closer to plus money at -2.5. If you want to play conservative, the -1.5 is available for -150 on DraftKings, but if you want to go big, -2.5 for -110 is available on MGM.
Either way, I think both are safe bets.
Perhaps putting a full unit on -1.5 and a partial unit on -2.5 is the way to go. Play -150 or better for -1.5 and -120 or better for -2.5.
