MLB Friday betting picks, top odds & value plays – April 22, 2022

Many teams are still trying to find their way in this new 2022 Major League Baseball season, making for some really interesting wagering opportunities. These are our top MLB betting picks for Friday’s games.

Milwaukee Brewers (+1.5, +100) @ Philadelphia Phillies (-1.5, -120)

Probable pitchers: Freddy Peralta vs Ranger Suarez

This matchup is really a toss up. On paper, the Phillies have one of the best offenses in all of baseball with the likes of reigning MVP Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, and Jean Segura. The only issue is it seems like the entire Phillies lineup is in a massive slump to begin the 2022 campaign. The Phillies are off to a pretty rough 5-8 start as they’re still looking to find their way.

There haven’t been very many bright spots for the Phillies in general, they look to have a pretty solid starting rotation as well but they’ve all been knocked around to start the season, some more than once. The Phillies should bust out of this slump and it’s only a matter of time till the back of the baseball cards for Harper, Castellanos, and Schwarber really start to show some truth.

With the Phillies slumping the way that they have been the thought of facing a Brewers ace like Freddy Peralta is daunting. That is no easy task; he was an all-star a year ago and pitched to a stingy 2.81 ERA a season ago. Peralta, though, has been off to a pretty rocky start himself, as he’s allowed nine earned runs in only seven innings pitched.

Something is bound to break here. Either the Phillies offense takes advantage of Peralta’s rocky start, or Peralta shows why he was named to his first all-star appearance just a season ago. Regardless, when things are this close it’s always safe to ride with the home team. The Phillies on the moneyline is the play here.

Los Angeles Dodgers (-1.5, -160) @ San Diego Padres (+1.5, +140)

Probable pitchers: Julio Urias vs Nick Martinez

This NL West showdown is going to be very fun to watch all year. The Dodgers have the deepest lineup in baseball and have the talent waiting in the wings to bring up if someone goes down. There isn’t much to say about them that hasn’t already been said – they truly are the best team in baseball. The Padres are no slouches, and Bob Melvin has done an excellent job stabilizing what was a shaky ship in San Diego a year ago. The Padres and Dodgers are set to match up 19 times this year, and every one of those will be a must-watch game.

Julio Urias has gotten better every year. A season ago, he received Cy Young votes, and while he hasn’t yet been as dominant as he was last year, it’s only a matter of time. There is a pretty clear trend here with Urias and the numbers say that he will figure it out sometime soon. It’s surely no easy task to face a solid Padres lineup, but if anyone is capable of shutting down a lineup, it would be Urias.

The Padres (9-5) and the Dodgers (9-3) are both off to great starts, making this a pretty tough call. However, the Dodgers are 6-1 in their last seven games played at Petco Park in San Diego, so why not roll with that trend and back the best team in the MLB? The Dodgers on the moneyline is the play.

Pittsburgh Pirates (+1.5, +130) @ Chicago Cubs (-1.5, -155)

Probable pitchers: Jose Quintana vs Drew Smyly

The Cubs are not nearly as bad as people anticipated. Although they’re 6-6, they’ve played some pretty good baseball to start the year, which is credit to David Ross. Ross has done an amazing job thus far and having a player like Seiya Suzuki definitely helps. Suzuki has lived up to the hype, blasting four homers and managing 12 hits in 31 official at-bats. Suzuki very well may cool down, but he’s a sleeper candidate for rookie of the year.

The Pirates, on the other hand, well… they’re the Pirates. They’re projected to be a bottom team not only in the National League, but in the MLB. While they’re clearly a rebuilding team, they have made some pretty interesting decisions by locking up Bryan Reynolds, who was the subject of a ton of trade talk this offseason, as well as re-signing Ke’Bryan Hayes. The Pirates surely have some decent pieces in Reynolds and Hayes, but their 5-7 start is a sign of things to come.

While laying some money on Drew Smyly isn’t something we would advise very often, it’s surely the play here. The Cubs -1.5 is the pick for this one.

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