Spring Training action is heating up, and while these games don’t count in the standings, they still present valuable betting opportunities. With teams managing workloads and testing new lineups, there’s an edge to be found for savvy bettors. For Friday, February 21, I’m targeting three matchups: Yankees vs. Rays, Rangers vs. Royals, and Diamondbacks vs. Rockies. With strong pitching matchups and clear talent gaps in play, let’s break down the best bets of the day.
Yankees ML vs. Rays, 1:05pm ET (-155, BetMGM)
Marcus Stroman will get the start for the Yankees, which should be a positive factor for New York. In his career, he’s pitched to an 8-4 record with a 3.31 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 125.0 Spring Training innings (41 games). That includes a 2.61 ERA and 1.16 WHIP through five Spring Training appearances last season for the Bronx Bombers. Meanwhile, Joey Krehbiel, a 32 year old reliever who isn’t on Tampa Bay’s MLB roster, will start for the Rays. While both Stroman and Krehbiel won’t go deep into the game at all (most likely a couple innings at the most each), Krehbiel owns a 6.70 ERA and 1.45 WHIP through 49 Spring Training appearances in his career. The Yankees are a much deeper team, have more top-end talent and it’s difficult to project how this Rays team is going to perform since there’s been a ton of turnover on their roster from last season. Give me the Yanks to pick up a win.
Rangers ML at Royals, 3:05pm ET (+105, BetMGM)
Nathan Eovaldi will toe the rubber for the Rangers in this one and will look to get off to another great start after he posted a 2.35 ERA (1.17 WHIP) and 2.63 ERA (1.10 WHIP) over the last two Spring Trainings. In 29.0 cumulative innings over those two seasons with Texas, he struck out 32 hitters and walked eight, which was a sign that he was sharp out of the gates. Lefty Daniel Lynch will get the start for the Royals and has posted a 5.20 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 21 Spring Training appearances. While I am a fan of the Royals and think they have a promising future, the Rangers have more depth and top-end talent to rely on and I’ll gladly back them at +105.
Diamondbacks ML vs. Rockies, 3:10pm ET (-165, BetMGM)
Corbin Burnes will start for the D-Backs which is exciting since he’s my NL Cy Young pick. This is his first start for the D-Backs, who he signed a massive contract with in the offseason. This Rockies team is going to be one of the worst in baseball once again and I’m not a fan of their Major League or minor league rosters. Bradley Blalock, who spent time in Double-A last season, will make his third career Spring Training appearance. Last season, he pitched to a 5.87 ERA and 1.79 WHIP at the MLB level through 30.2 innings and doesn’t project as a legitimate Major League starter. Coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons, this Rockies pitching staff will be brutally-awful once again and I recognize Arizona as a legitimate World Series contender.
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