MLB Best Bets | Moneyline and Spread Odds | Friday, April 22nd

MLB Best Bets for April 22nd: Can the Mets stay hot tonight?

MLB teams are set to begin their weekend series against new opponents. With these new matchups comes new opportunities to profit. Below, you will find three great spots that stand out for some MLB teams on today's slate of games. Let's get right into it!

Bet #1: New York Mets ML (-125) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

"Another series win. #LGM" -@ New York Mets

The New York Mets started the season on a great note, as they became the first team in the MLB to reach 10 wins. Sitting at 10-4, the Mets have been bolstered by quality starting pitching and timely offensive production. Led by Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, the Mets offense sits in the top five in many important offensive categories. Through the first 14 games, this Mets team has shown they are very good in both aspects of the game.

Thus far, the Mets pitching staff ranks second in the MLB in notable categories such as ERA, WHIP, and opponent batting average. Tonight, they begin a six-game road trip against the young Arizona Diamondbacks. The pitching matchup in this game is extremely intriguing, given the fact that neither of these pitchers has allowed a run thus far. David Peterson will get the start for New York. The last time he pitched, he faced this same Arizona Diamondbacks lineup. In that game, Peterson contributed 4.1 innings of scoreless pitching to an eventual 5-0 shutout win for New York.

Zac Gallen gets the ball for Arizona tonight in his second start of the season. Like Peterson, Gallen's last outing was against the team he faces tonight. In that game, Gallen went four scoreless innings in a 3-2 win for the D-backs. It's hard to bet against a team as talented as the Mets playing a consistently mediocre organization. Let's ride with one of the hottest teams in baseball.

Bet #2: St Louis Cardinals ML (-120) vs. Cincinnati Reds

Coming off of a tough loss to the Marlins last night, the St. Louis Cardinals will look to rebound against their division foe, the Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals have started the season with a 7-4 record, while the Reds have limped out to an MLB worst 2-11 start. The Reds simply are not playing good baseball. Their pitching staff ERA ranks second to last in the MLB, and their offense's batting average ranks second to last as well. These two statistics alone describe why they are struggling right now: They can't score runs, and they can't stop the other team from scoring runs.

The St. Louis Cardinals, led by Nolan Arenado, are looking to bounce back after being held to two runs in their last 18 innings of play. Young flamethrower Hunter Greene will get the ball for the Reds tonight, and he has been pretty impressive. In his first two career starts, Greene had the pleasure of facing the defending champion Atlanta Braves, followed by the extremely talented Los Angeles Dodgers. Greene is a very promising prospect, but the Cardinals should be able to take care of business tonight.

Bet #3: Chicago Cubs F5 -0.5 (-115) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Chicago Cubs come into this afternoon's game on a three-game losing streak. Drew Smyly, the Cubs ace, takes the mound tonight in a great matchup to get back in the win column. Smyly hasn't given up a run through two starts and faces a pretty good Pittsburgh Pirates lineup. On April 12, Smyly pitched against this Pirates team and allowed no runs through five innings of work.

The Pirates are sending out left-hander Jose Quintana, who also pitched against Smyly in that April 12 meeting. Quintana also pitched very well in that game, only giving up one run in his five innings. Both of these lineups should produce better results since they have now seen these pitchers in a game setting just 10 days ago.

"Back-to-back scoreless starts for Drew Smyly"- @Cubs

The Pirates have consistently been one of the worst teams in the MLB over the last five seasons, so this value just seems too good to pass up. Let's go Cubbies!