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MLB Today: AL East Teams in Spotlight

Injuries Piling Up for Defending Champs

· Jul 05 - 7 minutes read

Nine favorites came away with wins on Independence Day. Will that trend continue on a busy Wednesday or will the underdogs defy the MLB predictions?

When it comes to the MLB picks, just two matchups on Wednesday feature a pair of winning teams. The Philadelphia Phillies look to take another game against the Tampa Bay Rays while the New York Yankees are looking to close the gap further on Baltimore in the American League East.

MLB Today: AL East Teams in Spotlight | Kevin sabitus/getty images/afp

With Atlanta’s nine-game winning streak coming to an end, the Seattle Mariners have the longest active winning streak at four games.

When looking at the MLB news, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels went on the injured list while the Houston Astros are hoping to get its starting double-play combination back in the lineup soon.

According to MLB playoff odds, the Atlanta Braves (+375) have the best odds to win the World Series, followed by the Tampa Bay Rays at +550. The Dodgers come in at +650, with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros priced at +800.

Welcome Back

The Detroit Tigers will be happy to have Eduardo Rodriguez back on the mound against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.

If he had pitched enough innings to qualify, Rodriguez would be leading the majors with a 2.13mlb ERA. He hasn’t pitched since late May and is set to start against Oakland.

Rodriguez had one stretch when he allowed two runs in a span of four starts. He surrendered one run or less in seven of his last nine starts.

The Tigers just got Tarik Skubal back on Tuesday and he didn’t allow a hit in four innings so this could be a team to keep an eye on. The Tigers are just 5½ games out of first place in the American League Central Division despite being 10 games under .500.

He’s back. pic.twitter.com/sa4x5OtSPI

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 4, 2023

Youth Will Be Served

When the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates square off in the last of Wednesday’s 15 scheduled games, the game will feature a pair of starting pitchers with a grand total of 11 MLB career games.

Osvaldo Bido is 0-1 with a 4.74 ERA going into his fifth career start for the Pirates.

Bobby Miller is 4-1 in his seven starts as a rookie for the Dodgers. He has struggled recently with a 9.39 ERA in his last three games.

They won’t be the only youngsters set to start on Wednesday.

Randy Vasquez is set to make his third start for the Yankees. The 24-year-old righty has allowed six hits and two runs with nine strikeouts in 10⅓ innings this season. He picked up his first career win, allowing no runs in 5⅔ innings versus the Chicago White Sox in his last appearance.

The Red Sox will turn to 24-year-old Brayan Bello against Texas. He has allowed two runs or less in eight of his last nine starts. He should have the attention of those taking part in live betting by now.

For Kansas City, 25-year-old Alec Marsh will make his second career start as the Royals look to upset Minnesota. He allowed six hits and five runs in four innings in his MLB debut.

Arizona Diamondbacks 25-year-old lefty Tommy Henry has won his last two starts as he has given up two runs (both on solo home runs) in 12⅓ innings.

A pair of 25-year-olds will be on the mound when Cincinnati faces Washington. Graham Ashcraft gets the start for the Reds with Josiah Gray going for the Nationals.

Sears, Luzardo Dealing

There were plenty of impressive pitching efforts on Tuesday with Aaron Nola coming through for the Philadelphia Phillies against the American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays, and Logan Gilbert of the Seattle Mariners tossing a five-hit shutout with seven strikeouts in a win over San Francisco.

They were not alone. J.P Sears of the Oakland Athletics allowed two runs or less for the eighth time in his last 11 starts when he pitched into the eighth inning without giving up a run against the Tigers.

Speaking of scoreless outings, Jesus Luzardo of the Miami Marlins has not allowed a run over 19⅓ innings in his last three starts. He has allowed 10 hits and struck out 26 batters during that stretch to lower his ERA from 4.09 to 3.32.

Jesús Luzardo explains what was working for him after a 4th straight terrific start for the Marlins@Marlins | #MakeItMiami pic.twitter.com/2eQ9yNbsYJ

— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) July 4, 2023

Wednesday’s Best Bets

Justin Turner of the Boston Red Sox has a strong track record against Texas starter Jon Gray dating back to his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has a .333 average versus Gray with four of his 12 hits going for extra bases. He is priced at +600 to hit a home run on Wednesday.

Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers is batting .550 with five doubles and four home runs in his last seven games so why not go with Betts in your live betting to hit another home run on Wednesday.

Zach Remillard of the Chicago White Sox is hitting .366 in 15 games since making his MLB debut. It could be worth taking a chance on the +150 odds of Remillard scoring a run on Wednesday.

Baltimore starting pitcher Dean Kremer has allowed seven home runs in his last three starts so the question is which of the Yankees is most likely to take him deep on Wednesday. Rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe is hitting .407 over the last seven games and with the sportsbook listing him at +550 to hit a home run, that could be the way to go.

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Injury Update

Here’s a look at the injuries that could impact Wednesday’s action.

The Los Angeles Angels are without one former American League Most Valuable Player after outfielder Mike Trout went on the injured list with a wrist injury. He is not expected back until September. Now Shohei Ohtani, listed by the MLB betting lines as the MVP favorite, is questionable after leaving the last game with a blister on his finger. Third baseman Anthony Rendon is also questionable after fouling a pitch off his shin in Tuesday’s game. Infielders Zach Neto and Brandon Drury are already out.

Baltimore outfielder Austin Hays has missed the first two games of the series with the Yankees as a result of a hip injury and he is questionable for Wednesday’s matchup. He leads the Orioles with a .312 batting average.

The Houston Astros could be without both second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Jeremy Pena, as well as outfielder Yordan Alvarez, the team leader with 17 home runs, heading into Wednesday’s game with Colorado.

Cleveland first baseman Josh Naylor is questionable to face Atlanta due to wrist injury.

A rib injury resulted in Seattle infielder Ty France missing the last game. He is questionable for the matchup with San Francisco.

When the St. Louis Cardinals face Miami, infielder Brandon Donovan and catcher Andrew Knizner will be questionable while Miami will be missing outfielder Jazz Chisholm and relief pitcher Andrew Nardi.

Kansas City is dealing with injuries to starting pitchers Jordan Lyles and Zack Greinke going into the game with Minnesota while the Twins have infielders Royce Lewis and Jorge Polanco on the injured list.

The injuries to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching staff continue to mount with Dustin May being ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing elbow surgery. Walker Buehler is out until September while Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard are out indefinitely.

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