Category: Sports News

The big news in Yankee world on Wendesday was the MLB debut of Elmer Rodríguez. The pitcher is ranked as one of the top prospects in the Yankees’ organization and is one of just a handful of recent Yankees’ pitchers to debut at age 22 or younger.

Well, the Yankees ended up losing on Wednesday, although it’s tough to put too much blame on the rookie. Rodríguez definitely seemed to be dealing with some nerves, as he walked three batters, but only allowed two runs in four innings. The bigger issue in the game was that the Yankees’ offense was shutout, as they continue to regularly get baffled by Nathan Eovaldi. It didn’t help that Jasson Domínguez left early after getting plunked on the elbow. He’ll need testing beyond the MRI that he had in Texas.

While the Yankees ended an otherwise very good road trip with a loss, let’s see what their competition from around the AL did in Wednesday’s action.

Toronto Blue Jays (14-16) 8, Boston Red Sox (12-19) 1

The Blue Jays’ lineup pounded Boston starter Brayan Bello, dropping the Red Sox to 2-2 since the unceremonious firing of Alex Cora and remaining in the AL East cellar.

The game got off to a decent enough start for the Red Sox as they took an initial lead on a Willson Contreras’ homer in the top of the first inning. However, that ended up being the only run they scored. Blue Jays’ starter Eric Lauer was OK, holding Boston to just that one run on five hits in 4.1 innings. The Red Sox just did not remotely take their chances. Despite nine hits for the game, they were 1-for-8 with runner in scoring position and left eight on base for the day.

That allowed the Blue Jays to get their way back into the game and then eventually blow Boston out of the water. They took the lead for the first and only time in the third inning. Rookies Kazuma Okamoto and Yohendrick Pinango each come up with RBI hits in the third as Toronto put up a three spot. Ernie Clement followed that with a two-run homer — his first of the year — the following inning to fully assert the Blue Jays’ control.

As mentioned, it wasn’t the best of days for Bello, as he departed after just 3.2 innings, having given up four runs, taking his ERA to 9.12 on the season. Toronto ended up tacking on a few more runs later on ensuring that Boston would’ve had a hard time coming back even if they did take their chances.

Other Games

• Seattle Mariners (16-16) 5, Minnesota Twins (13-18) 3: Cole Young’s two-RBI single helped the Mariners to a three-spot in the top of the ninth allowing them to rally for a win. The Twins themselves had only taken the lead in the bottom of the eighth, but they were unable to put the finishing touches on another good outing from resurgent starter Taj Bradley.

• Cleveland Guardians (16-16) 3, Tampa Bay Rays (18-12) 1: Travis Bazzana is still hitless in his young career, but the rest of the Guardians’ lineup did enough to help Cleveland get the win. Gavin Williams was very good for the Guardians, holding the Rays to just one run on five hits in 7.2 innings. At the plate, Chase DeLauter led Cleveland with two RBI in his 2-for-3 day.

• Atlanta Braves (22-9) 4, Detroit Tigers (15-16) 3: Tarik Skubal overcame a bad first inning to get back on track, which eventually led to his offense taking the lead. However, the Tigers’ bullpen then couldn’t hold on, as the surging Braves eventually won on a Matt Olson walk-off home run against former teammate Kenley Jansen. Ozzie Albies’ first-inning homer ended up being the only damage they did against Skubal in seven innings, but Detroit’s three runs of offense ended up being not enough to withstand Atlanta’s ninth inning.

G’day everyone and a happy Mariners off-day to you!

Cole Young was the hero once again yesterday in a 5-3 come-from-behind win over the Twins.

The M’s closed out April with a clean 16-16 record. All things considered, I’m pretty satisfied with that (especially after a rough start to the year). How are you feeling about the team one month in?

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners got some good news about Matt Brash last night, who is dealing with some mild right side discomfort which he doesn’t seem too concerned about. He will undergo a more thorough evaluation by team doctors today.
• Brendan Donovan should be returning from the injured list during the homestand starting tomorrow, reports Daniel Kramer.
• Max Ellingsen gave the latest update on No. 1 Mariners prospect Colt Emerson, who has been quietly producing for the Rainiers.
• The ongoing championship for the season’s greatest bat flip, as awarded by ESPN’s David Schoenfield, recently pitted Mariners teammates Randy Arozarena and Josh Naylor against one another.
• Jage from Words on the Wharf outlined what a contract extension for Cole Young could look like.

Around the league…

• The bad news keeps on coming for the Red Sox, who were forced to place lefty ace Garrett Crochet on the injured list with a shoulder injury.
• Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi exited his start yesterday with shoulder tightness.
• The Braves are planning to activate ace Spencer Strider from the injured list on Sunday. The right-hander missed March and April after suffering a strained oblique in spring training.
• Former Mariner Jarred Kelenic was called up by the White Sox yesterday.
• Hard Rock Bet and the MLBPA announced a partnership to provide full NIL access to the online sportsbook.
• Matthew Trueblood tried to figure out why Byron Buxton’s outfield defense is declining even though he hasn’t lost much off his foot speed.
• Jared Greenspan explained how the Rockies pitching staff has managed to turn things around just one month into the new regime.
• Blue Jays infielder Davis Schneider told the personal story behind his recent partnership with Emergent BioSolutions, who have manufactured a nasal spray to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose if administered quickly enough.
• Officially one month into the season, the ESPN staff gave a panic meter score to every underperforming contender.

In 2025, the Cubs were relatively healthy. That’s easy to forget. The headline injuries, Justin Steele, Kyle Tucker and Cade Horton were to some of the team’s biggest stars. Nico Hoerner and a number of other offensive players had some various bumps and bruises. A couple of the starting pitchers missed some time. Javier Assad basically missed most of the season injured. As a stark contrast, the injured list has already been a revolving door for the 2026 team. Without going down any rabbit holes, I suspect that at no time in 2025 did the Cubs have this many players on their injured list at any one time.

The injuries, particularly the ongoing injury of Steele and the season-ending injury for Horton, could certainly be an excuse for this team. Losing two guys who you hoped could eventually be cornerstones of your rotation could be devastating. To be sure, there are a lot of chapters still to be written and that might well eventually be the demise of this team. Even with a host of relievers also being lost to injury, this team has once again emerged in the early going as one of the better teams in baseball.

Wednesday afternoon in San Diego, the Cubs pitching staff was dominant during seven innings. Obviously, baseball is a nine inning game. Jameson Taillon started and was dominant during six innings. But he pitched seven of them. After five perfect innings, he had a sequence of homer-walk-homer and saw a three-run lead evaporate. Corbin Martin had been terrific to date for the Cubs and was called on for the first time in a high leverage situation. But he had no command of his pitches at all and walked the bases loaded before being pulled. In short, the pitching was uneven. But on this day, seven good innings was enough.

It was enough, because the relentless Cubs offense continued its excellent work. The Cub offense now leads MLB in on-base percentage. They have the most walks and the third most hits. Their slugging percentage ranks fourth. A stat shown during the broadcast noted that the Cubs have the most plate appearances with runners on base — by a very wide margin. They had more than 10 percent more such plate appearances than any other team. This offense has been incredibly special in the early going.

In this game, the Cubs had nine hits, three of then doubles and two of them homers. They drew five walks and had a hit batter. Xander Bogaerts made a terrific play to start a double play snuffing an early rally. And the Padres got fortunate on a ball that Nick Castellanos misplayed in left field that could have cost them a run but for the ball bouncing out of play. The Cubs got five runs and it could certainly have been more. But it was enough.

The Cubs’ play in March and April doesn’t end up looking great on paper now that we have reached the end of the month. The 19-12 record is great. But the strength of schedule read .494, the lowest of any of the teams in the NL Central. Of course, that is massively weighed down by the performance of the Mets and Phillies in April. The Phillies are 10-19, which is awful. Bear in mind, though, they are a much more respectable 9-13 when they play the rest of the league. I just today listened to the Kyle Schwarber episode of Lovable Reunion and the group felt that the Phillies had a legit chance at a championship. For that to be true, that team is going to have to go on one heck of a tear.

The reality of the Cubs’ March and April is that they battled adversity and they not only survived, but they thrived. As I said earlier, there are a lot of chapters still to be written. We’ve all heard that old phrase a million times. You can’t win a championship early in the season, but you can lose one. That’s surely being said to the Mets and Phillies elsewhere. This Cubs team positioned itself to be a contender. Now, we turn to the next chapter and see if they can continue that. In a National League that has nine of 15 teams over .500 through the end of April, nothing is going to be easy.

Three Positives:

• Matt Shaw had three hits including a double and a homer. He scored twice and drove in a run. He also what looked like a solid game at second base.
• Jameson Taillon threw seven innings and allowed only three hits, one walk, three runs and struck out six. He was perfect through four innings and threw a perfect seventh.
• Ben Brown pulled off a quintessential reliever accomplishment. He faced four batters and recorded five outs. That was because he inherited the bases loaded with no outs and the middle of the Padres lineup approaching. He did allow an inherited run to score, but got a double play ball on a nice play by Shaw.

Game 31, April 29: Cubs 5, Padres 4 (19-12)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Ben Brown (.515). 1.2 IP, 4 BF, K
• The highest WPA by a Cub in 2026 to date
• Hero: Matt Shaw (.251). 3-4, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R
• Sidekick: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.142). 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Corbin Martin (-.353). 0 IP, 3 BF, 3 BB, ER
• Goat: Michael Busch (-.211). 0-4, BB
• Kid: Moisés Ballesteros (-.085). 0-5

WPA Play of the Game: With the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning, the Padres trailed by one. Ben Brown got Manny Machado to ground into a double play. (.327)

*Padres Play of the Game: With two outs and a runner on first in the fifth inning, the Padres down two, Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer. (.277)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 30 Winner: Pete Crow-Armstrong received 93 of 165 votes

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Nico Hoerner +9.5
• Michael Conforto +7
• Moisés Ballesteros/Daniel Palencia +5
• Matt Shaw/Pete Crow-Armstrong -8
• Jacob Webb -9

Current Win Pace: 99.3

Up Next: The first off day after 13 straight games in which the team went 10-3. They will host the Diamondbacks (16-13) on Friday. The D-backs play in Milwaukee to finish their series with the Brewers Thursday afternoon. The two teams split the first two games in the series. Colin Rea (3-1, 4.61, 27.1 IP) is scheduled to start. Last time out, Rea was rocked for six runs on six hits and four walks in 3.1 innings in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks haven’t officially announced a starter yet for the game but if they stay on their normal rotation, it will likely be Zac Gallen.

Over the last couple weeks, the Nats offense has not been as consistently excellent as it was to start the season. The start the unit got off to was unsustainable, so you can’t complain about that too much. However, one thing I love is that when the Nats have a bad offensive game, they tend to respond the next night. 

Last night was a perfect example of that. After getting shut out, the boys put up 14 runs on the Mets. In the games following a Nats loss where they scored two or fewer runs, the Nats have scored 6, 5, 7, 8, 4 and 14 runs in the next game. When the Nats have a bad night on offense, they respond by scoring over 7 runs a game the next night.

In the past, the Nats sometimes let a bad game carry over into the next performance. Now, with Matt Borgschulte, it is clear that they are making the adjustments and fixing what went wrong in the previous game. The other night, the Nats had zero extra base hits and 13 ground outs. Last night, they had 6 extra base hits and just 6 ground outs. 

Watching this offense is a ton of fun because of this resiliency. There will be some nights where they just don’t have it, but they will not let that linger. Sure, they have been slowly regressing to the mean and are not a top 5 offense anymore. However, they are still second in runs and top 10 in most offensive categories. 

Based on where they are in the roster building process, an elite offense is too much to expect. James Wood, CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile are the only three guys you can truly call very good hitters. Outside of that, the Nats have role players who can step up some nights, but not on a consistent basis.

However, those role players have done a nice job chipping in. Joey Wiemer had his crazy hot start to the season, Jorbit Vivas has had some nice moments and Curtis Mead has had a few amazing offensive nights. Luis Garcia Jr. is also a guy who is underperforming a bit right now, and I think he will get hot before too long. Jacob Young’s underlying data also looks better.

Overall, I think this offense will be a solid unit. They are very unlikely to end the season being the second highest scoring team in the league, but being a slightly above average scoring offense does not feel unrealistic. As long as Wood and Abrams stay consistent, they have the starpower. They also have a deep bench that allows Blake Butera to play the matchups.

You saw the Nats take advantage of matchups well last night. Curtis Mead and Joey Wiemer both matched up well with the lefties the Mets threw out there, which is why Butera put them in the lineup. Meanwhile, you have guys like Garcia and Vivas who hit righties well. There is also Jose Tena, who has proven himself to be an excellent pinch hitter.

This is not the most talented offense in the world, but it has starpower, and useful pieces. That allows the unit to be adaptable and score against different types of pitchers. The deep bench also allows Blake Butera to ride the hot hand.

The offense has been clicking all season, but they are finally getting some help from most of the pitching staff too. Outside of Zack Littell, the rotation has been stepping up their game lately. Cade Cavalli and Foster Griffin have both been excellent lately, while Jake Irvin is showing signs of improvement. Miles Mikolas has been better in his new role as well.

If this team can get consistent pitching, they could surprise some people as the season goes along. This is not a great team, or even a good one, but so far this season it has been a very watchable one, especially when they are on the road.

There are going to be nights this season where it is not pretty. The talent is not fully in place yet and the pitching staff is not great. However, this team has been resilient and fun. When they get knocked down, the Nats get back up the next game. You can see that in their offensive performances after a bad loss. This team clearly does not like losing, and that is a sign of a good culture. 

Credit to Blake Butera and the coaching staff for instilling this resilience. In addition to being resilient, it is also clear that this Nats team does their homework and learns from their mistakes. After bad games, they usually clean up their act the next night, and I think that is a great sign for the future of the team.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Kansas City Royals and the Athletics clash today in the rubber match of a three-game set at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, CA. 

My Royals vs. Athletics predictions are targeting the hosts to add to KC’s misery on the road in the finale. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Thursday, April 30. 

Who will win Royals vs A's today: Athletics moneyline (-125)

The Athletics have won two of their last three contests, and they walked away with a 5-2 victory on Wednesday evening. They’ve now won five of their last eight meetings with the Kansas City Royals, and one of their better starters takes the hill today in Jeffrey Springs. 

The lefty has a 3.79 ERA this season, and he’s held opponents to a .197 average.

While the Royals are hitting .304 against him, it’s a small sample size of 23 at-bats, and Springs allowed just one earned run against KC last season in one start. He’s also given up just one earned run in two of his three home outings in 2026. 

As for the Royals, Noah Cameron gets the call, and he owns a 5.13 ERA. On the road, his ERA sits at 5.59, and he’s surrendered 13 earned runs across his last three starts.

The Royals are just 3-11 on the road, and it'll get worse here.

COVERS INTEL: Cameron’s xERA sits at 6.98, which is towards the bottom of the majors. His opponent xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG are also among the worst in the big leagues.

Royals vs A's Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-105)

While I don’t expect either pitcher to be completely lights-out, we likely won’t see a bunch of runs, either.

The Under has cashed in five of the last six meetings. KC ranks 23rd with 4.1 runs per game, while the Athletics are 19th with 4.2. 

Three of the Royals’ last four games have hit the Under, and the Athletics have cashed the Under in seven straight contests.

Also, both ball clubs struggle against left-handed hurlers. Kansas City is batting .229 off southpaws, while the Athletics have hit .217 against lefties. 

Royals vs A's odds

• Moneyline: Royals +108 | A's -126
• Run line: Royals +1.5 | A's -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 | Under 9.5

Royals vs A's trend

The Athletics have hit the Moneyline in 14 of their last 22 games (+8.00 Units / 33% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Royals vs. A's.

How to watch Royals vs A's and game info

Royals vs A's latest injuries

Royals vs A's weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The San Diego Padres dropped a series for the first time since the opening week of the season with a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, but they had opportunities to prevent that. In the end, the offense did not do enough, and the bullpen struggled to keep runs off the board. Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos hit their first home runs for San Diego. Both came in the bottom of the fifth inning and broke up what was a no-hit shutout for Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon. The home runs allowed the Padres to tie the game 3-3, and with Adrian Morejon coming out of the ‘pen, most of San Diego thought the team could author another late-inning comeback to take the rubber match of the series. Instead, the Cubs manufactured a run off the left-hander following a leadoff walk to Michael Busch to start the top of the sixth inning. A ground out pushed him to second base before a double by Matt Shaw put runners at second and third with one out. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit another ground out for the second out of the inning, but Busch scored from third and Chicago took a 4-3 lead. Bradgley Rodriguez came in to get the final out of the inning, but the damage had been done.

Jason Adam came on in the top of the eighth after Rodriguez worked a scoreless seventh and he surrendered a solo home run to Shaw that gave the Cubs a 5-3 lead. The Padres had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the eighth inning. Chicago reliever Corbin Martin allowed three walks to open the inning, which loaded the bases for Fernando Tatis Jr. with no outs. Martin was pulled from the game and Tatis Jr. faced Ben Brown. Tatis Jr. hit a flyball to center field, which allowed a run to score and left runners at first and third with the score 5-4 and Manny Machado coming to the plate. Machado saw one pitch before hitting a ground ball to second base, which resulted in an inning-ending double play and essentially put an end to the game.

The Padres have the day off before hosting the Chicago White Sox for three games.

Padres News:

• Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com explains how Mason Miller could be the first reliever since 2003 to win the Cy Young Award.

• Samad Taylor is trying to keep his results from Spring Training going in the regular season and it resulted in a win for the El Paso Chihuahuas.

• Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the three-game series between the Padres and Cubs could have been a preview of what is to come in October.

• Tatis Jr. is hitting the ball harder than ever according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, but it has yet to result in a home run for the star outfielder.

Baseball News:

• The Atlanta Braves stayed hot and kept to their winning ways thanks to a Matt Olson walk-off home run off Detroit Tigers closer Kenley Jansen after Tarik Skubal pitched seven strong innings to start the game.

• Ildemaro Vargas extended his hit streak to 22 games and helped the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers.

• The Miami Marlins beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2 and took the series from the defending World Series champions.

• The White Sox walked off the Los Angeles Angels to sweep the series before heading to San Diego.

• Nate Eovaldi delivered for the Texas Rangers as they knock off the New York Yankees.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies clash this afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader, with first pitch scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET. 

My Giants vs. Phillies predictions are targeting Philly to grab another win, with Cristopher Sanchez in line for another dominant outing. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Thursday, April 30. 

Who will win Giants vs Phillies today: Phillies moneyline (-145)

The Philadelphia Phillies won the series opener on Tuesday, 7-0, before Wednesday’s contest rained out. Philly’s offense finally showed some promise in their first game since Rob Thomson was fired.

Today, Cristopher Sanchez takes the hill for the hosts, and he’s been impressive this season.

The lefty has a 2.94 ERA and a 2-2 record across six starts, also striking out 43 in 33 2/3 innings of work. At home, Sanchez is even better, compiling a 1.16 ERA. For comparison, his ERA sits above 6.00 on the road. He also had a 1.93 ERA against the San Francisco Giants last year across two appearances.

Logan Webb, meanwhile, has allowed at least three earned runs across each of his last three outings, and his 4.86 ERA overall rises to 5.00 on the road. The Phillies haven’t had a ton of success against him, but it’s a small sample size, and they’re coming off a seven-run performance. 

COVERS INTEL: The Phillies have won three of their last five meetings with the Giants at Citizens Bank Park.

Giants vs Phillies Over/Under pick: Under 7 (-115)

The Under has hit in three straight meetings, and the pitching matchup is solid. Sanchez is electric, and he clearly feeds off the Citizens Bank Park atmosphere. 

Although Webb has given up some runs lately, he’s still a guy who gives the Giants a respectable five or six innings each start. In fact, he’s gone at least six innings in each of his previous four starts.

Even if Webb gives up some runs, San Fran has faith he can still compete. 

We’re also looking at two teams that do not score a lot of runs. The Phillies are 27th in runs scored, and the Giants are 30th. Despite numerous stars on each roster, the results aren’t there so far.

We’ll see some runs here, likely more from Philly, but it’ll be a low-scoring contest. 

Giants vs Phillies odds

• Moneyline: Giants +122 | Phillies -144
• Run line: Giants +1.5 | Phillies -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Giants vs Phillies trend

The Phillies have hit the team total Under in 27 of their last 40 games (+12.20 Units / 26% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Phillies.

How to watch Giants vs Phillies and game info

Giants vs Phillies latest injuries

Giants vs Phillies weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

There was a lot of flip-flopping yesterday with games getting rained out and guys not getting into the lineup, but I hit a winner for the third straight day and now have to thank the baseball heavens because of it. It's the only reason the balls are finally leaving the yard, and the MLB player props are starting to hit. 

Kazuma Okamoto is starting to figure it out at the plate, and he's a great option to target in the day's nightcap.

These are my favorite home run props for Thursday, April 30. 

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Yordan Alvarez	+320
Kazuma Okamoto	+600
Juan Soto	+310
💲Today's HR parlay	+8860

Yordan Alvarez (+320)

The rain stopped us yesterday, but our MLB picks are getting the best hitting matchup at a better price today with Yordan Alvarez vs. Chris Bassitt. Alvarez at +320 to go deep is still +EV, per Covers projections. The fair price for the best hitter in baseball to go yard sits closer to +270.

Alvarez is a freak. He leads baseball in multiple standard and advanced metrics and hasn’t homered in four straight games — his longest drought of the year. He may also have this matchup circled, as Bassitt has struggled against him. Alvarez is 5-for-22 with five home runs and a 1.598 OPS vs. Bassitt in his career.

Winds are blowing out to right field today, which is even better for the left-handed Alvarez than yesterday's wind. Bassitt has also allowed all of his home runs this year to left-handed hitters.

• Time: 12:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MASN, Space City Home Network

Kazuma Okamoto (+600)

The Toronto Blue Jays lineup is turning a corner.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is ripping the ball, Ernie Clement is going yard, George Springer is back, and Kazuma Okamoto is putting it together.

There’s still some swing and miss with the rookie, but he’s adjusting. He owns the best Blast Contact numbers on the team and is squaring the ball up at a 54.5% clip over the last seven days.

Pair that with Top-3 bat speed and a strong HR price, and he’s the target indoors vs. Bailey Ober and a bottom-tier Minnesota Twins bullpen.

Minnesota doesn’t have a true closer right now and is using a three-man committee late. Eric Orze is part of that mix, just blew a save yesterday, and is likely unavailable. The fair price is around +500.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SN1, MNNT

Juan Soto (+310)

Take me to square town, but Juan Soto has his swing locked in and draws a matchup with Miles Mikolas that belongs on any HR card.

Soto’s swing speed and Blast Contact% over the last two weeks have been elite — he’s squaring everything up. This is a stat-padding spot against Mikolas, who has struggled and is likely to hand things over to a vulnerable Washington Nationals bullpen. In Mikolas’ last three starts, the Nats have allowed 29 total runs.

Soto 2+ total bases at even money is also on the card. It’s the hottest bat against one of the softest matchups available.

• Time: 1:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Nationals.TV, SNY

Today’s HR parlay

Yordan Alvarez	Bet Now +8860
Kazuma Okamoto
Juan Soto

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.