Best Bets Today: Top Picks from Tuesday’s Sports Slate

Our sports betting experts offer up their top picks and best bets for today’s action.

Today’s best bets include looks at the Texas Rangers’ game against the Seattle Mariners, the NBA Playoffs Game 2 battle between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies, and the Toronto Blue Jays’ series opener against the rival Boston Red Sox. We’ll also look ahead to this weekend’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a top pick to win on the PGA Tour.

Here are today’s best bets for Tuesday, April 19.

Tuesday’s Best Bets

• MLB: Texas Rangers (+130) vs. Seattle Mariners (via DraftKings Sportsbook) ★★★★★
• NBA: Jaren Jackson Jr. Over 2.5 blocks (+108 via FanDuel Sportsbook) ★★★★
• Boost: Toronto Blue Jays to lead at end of the fifth inning (+180 via BetMGM)
• Golf: Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa to win the Zurich Classic (+800 via Caesars Sportsbook)

Tuesday’s MLB Best Bet

Rangers (+130)

The Texas Rangers will face 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray and the Seattle Mariners. Ray has pitched quite differently than in 2021 over his first two starts this season.

His velocity is down by 2 mph, and his K/9 has dropped from 11.54 to 6.08. Fade Ray and his pricing until the market catches up to his current performance.

MLB best bets made by Jon Metler.

To see our full MLB picks, click here.

Tuesday’s NBA Best Bet

Jackson Over 2.5 blocks (+108)

I don’t usually like chasing outlier performances. Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., racked up seven blocks in Game 1, more than he had in any regular-season game. He accomplished the feat despite getting into early foul trouble and playing only 24 minutes. 

While I doubt Jackson can replicate his Game 1 dominance, this number is low enough for me to target it anyway. The big man recorded a league-high 2.3 blocks per game in the regular season, and he notched at least three in 27 games this season. That includes three of his four regular-season matchups against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

I also like this prop because the Timberwolves are especially susceptible to blocks. They allowed 4.8 blocks per game in the regular season, the 12th most in the NBA. Over their last 15 contests, the Timberwolves have permitted 2.5 blocks per game to centers, the third most, and 1.3 per game to power forwards, the sixth most.

Jackson doesn’t need to sustain his incredible pace of 0.3 blocks per minute from Game 1 to cash this prop. However, the fact he pulled that off on Saturday points to value in the Game 2 line.

Timberwolves-Grizzlies picks made by Isaiah Sirois.

To see our full NBA picks, click here.

Tuesday’s Top Odds Boost

Blue Jays to lead at end of the fifth inning (+180)

Toronto Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi will take on Nathan Eovaldi of the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, with the Red Sox listed as -140 favorites. The Red Sox opened as -130 favorites, but the line has moved toward them, likely as a result of Kikuchi’s poor outing in his debut with the Blue Jays on April 12.

It is without a doubt that Eovaldi has been excellent for the Red Sox through two starts, as he currently boasts an 11.70 K/9 and 2.77 xFIP. Despite his strong advanced metrics, he has been susceptible to the long ball, allowing four home runs through two games. The Blue Jays have 14 home runs as a team, which is the third-most in MLB. 

Even if you favor Eovaldi and the Red Sox in this game, sports betting is about playing the numbers, and you cannot overlook the price we are being offered. At DraftKings, the Blue Jays are only +120 on the first five innings moneyline. This is 60 cents below the +180 boost available at BetMGM. From the perspective of value and price, this is an excellent opportunity to support the Blue Jays.

Tuesday’s Top Odds Boosts picked by Jon Metler.

Tuesday’s Top Golf Pick

Hovland and Morikawa to win the Zurich Classic (+800)

Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa have combined for seven PGA Tour wins since the start of 2020. The 24 and 25 year olds will now tee it up at TPC Louisiana for the first time. They enter the week averaging 1.19 and 1.42 SG: off-the-tee, respectively, and more than 0.80 SG: approach per round for the season.

While it’s almost always unwise to bet a +800 favorite in a standard golf event, the team format lends itself to backing heavier favorites than usual. We’re also getting decent value with the odds at BetMGM and Caesars early in the week. Anticipate the +800 to drop closer to the +650 opening number at DraftKings, which already seems to have the expected public betting action worked into the price.

Zurich Classic picks made by Esten McLaren.

Where to Bet on Today’s Best Picks

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

• FanDuel Sportsbook
• Caesars Sportsbook
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• PointsBet review
• BetMGM

SEE ALSO: All picks, odds, and sports betting news. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

The post Best Bets Today: Top Picks from Tuesday’s Sports Slate appeared first on Picks.