MLB picks: Cubs vs. Tigers, Indians vs. Mariners
There’s plenty to pick from with a full slate of MLB games taking place this Friday, but we’ve narrowed things down to our two best bets of the evening.
We’ll start with an interleague meeting between two of baseball’s most storied franchises in the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers. Then we’ll highlight a matchup between the Cleveland Indians and the Seattle Mariners.
Chicago Cubs (17-19) at Detroit Tigers (13-24), 7:10 p.m. ET
Bettors should take advantage of what looks like a generous line on the road favorite Cubs on Friday night.
Jake Arrieta will toe the rubber for Chicago, and his latest effort should be totally ignored. He attempted to pitch through a thumb injury against the Cincinnati Reds and endured by far his worst outing of the year (3 1/3 innings, seven earned runs). Arrieta was 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA prior to that April 30 fiasco and should pitch to those numbers now that he’s recuperated.
Backing up Arrieta is a much-improved Cubs bullpen that’s fifth in the majors by ERA over the last two weeks (2.22). The Tigers – 29th in offense at 3.43 runs per game – should offer little resistance.
Willson drives in his 18th run of the year! pic.twitter.com/sPSbO4AZKE
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 11, 2021
Tarik Skubal counters at Comerica Park for Detroit. He’s one of many struggling pitchers for the Tigers, as he’s 0-5 with a 5.67 ERA and 1.59 WHIP on the campaign. Skubal figures to get little relief from his bullpen, which is third-worst by ERA over the last two weeks (6.96).
Chicago enters this game as one of baseball’s hottest offenses, recording a .777 OPS over the last two weeks, good for third in the majors.
MLB pick: Cubs -136
Cleveland Indians (21-14) at Seattle Mariners (18-20), 10:10 p.m. ET
Winners of four straight and nine of their last 10, the Indians should hand the Mariners their sixth straight loss at T-Mobile Field on Friday night.
Aaron Civale starts for Cleveland, and he has yet to taste defeat in 2021 (5-0). He lowered his ERA to 2.91 and his WHIP to 1.04 as he held a dynamic Reds offense to one run over seven frames last Saturday.
Civale should make light work of Seattle’s 23rd-ranked offense (3.93 runs per game) before handing things off to his bullpen, which is also in good form at present (seventh in ERA over the last two weeks at 2.36).
JRam joins the top of the home run list. 💪 pic.twitter.com/XZt2meKc4O
— MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2021
Responding for the Mariners is Chris Flexen, who is fresh off his worst outing of the year. He allowed four earned runs on 10 hits to the Texas Rangers last Friday, bringing his ERA up to 3.78 and WHIP to 1.41.
If the Tribe don’t get to him, they’ll surely tag Seattle’s sagging bullpen, which is 24th by ERA (5.58) over the last two weeks. Look for Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (.938 OPS in May) to have another fine performance in this one.
MLB pick: Indians -113
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