MLB Picks April 18: Titans of the NL West Battle

Only two weeks into the MLB season and division battles are beginning to heat up. A full schedule of games is set for April 18 with the Dodgers and Padres headlining the action.

Los Angeles Dodgers versus San Diego Padres

The Dodgers enter first in the NL West and the Padres are third in the division. These two teams figure to battle for the top spot all season. Los Angeles has a +26 to +14 advantage on the Power Ranking Indicator and “burning hot” versus “average” on the Team Strength Oscillator. The teams have been trending “under” the line according to the Totals Predictor, so betting “under” is a good play. Trevor Bauer is scheduled to start for the Dodgers and Blake Snell is on the mound of the Padres. Los Angeles has been more consistently performing according to the Team Volatility Oscillator. Expect a pitching battle with the Dodgers coming away with a road win.

Arizona Diamondbacks versus Washington Nationals

Arizona comes in 4th in the NL West and the Nationals are bringing up the rear in the NL East. Both teams are struggling lately and are “ice cold down” on the Team Strength Oscillator. the Diamondbacks have a +5 to +1 edge on the Power Ranking Indicator. The teams are trending on opposite sides of the over/under line, so it’s best to avoid betting on that in this game. Madison Bumgarner is expected to start on the mound for Arizona and Stephen Strasburg is set to take the ball for Washington. Bumgarner has been a poor bet at -257 on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator, while Strasburg is a great bet at +789. The Nationals will have enough at home for a victory.

Cleveland Indians versus Cincinnati Reds

In a battle of Ohio teams, the 2nd place Indians of the AL Central face the surprising 1st place Reds. Cleveland has been playing better lately at “burning hot” versus “ice cold down” and has a +21 to +10 advantage on the Power Ranking Indicator. The Totals Predictor indicates the teams are trending “under” the line, so that is the best bet. Cleveland has been much more stable at +15 on the Team Volatility Oscillator versus -3 for the Reds. Shane Bieber is expected to start on the mound for the Indians versus Wade Miley for the Reds. Cleveland has everything going for them coming in and should come away with a win.

San Francisco Giants versus Miami Marlins

San Francisco heads to Miami with the 2nd best record in the NL Wast to face the 3rd place Marlins in the NL East. Both teams are “burning hot” at the moment and are +24 and +27, respectively, on the Power Ranking Indicator. Both teams have been trending “under” so betting the under is a very wise play in this contest. Alex Wood is scheduled to start for the Giants and Pablo Lopez is expected to get the ball for the Marlins. Both pitchers have been extremely poor bets according to the Pitcher Profit Oscillator. The Giants have been a little more consistent performing according to their favorite/underdog status. I like the Giants on the road in an upset.

Minnesota Twins versus Los Angeles Angels

The last place Twins in the AL Central face the 3rd place Angels in the AL West. The Angels have a +11 to +6 edge on the Power Ranking Indicator and “average down” versus “ice cold down” on the Team Strength Oscillator. Avoid the over/under bet since the teams have been trending on opposite sides of the line. J.A. Happ and Alex Cobb are the scheduled starting pitchers. Both have been very good bets at +573 and +693 on the Pitcher Profit Oscillator. The Angels have been a bit more consistent and they will be home favorites. I pick the Angels to win by a fairly comfortable margin of a few runs.