There are three late games on the spring training schedule tonight, which suits me just fine.
My MLB picks for Tuesday, March 17, highlight moneyline predictions for all three games, including the Cincinnati Reds toppling the Cleveland Guardians.
Spring Training predictions for March 17
| Pick | Odds |
|---|---|
 KC moneyline |
+115 |
 CIN moneyline |
-125 |
 LAA moneyline |
+130 |
Pick #1: Royals moneyline
This is a pure value play. The Kansas City Royals are still without Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia (playing in tonight's WBC Final) and Vinnie Pasquantino (whose team was just eliminated on Monday), so it makes sense they're underdogs against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But until he can prove otherwise, I have no faith in Roki Sasaki finding the strike zone with any consistency. The right-hander has issued five walks across 3 1/3 innings this spring while surrendering seven earned runs and five base hits.
Batters can wait until he gives in and crush him.
I'll take the plus money on the underdogs in case Sasaki digs himself, and the Dodgers, too big of an early hole.
Pick #2: Reds moneyline
The Cleveland Guardians lineup remains unimpressive, especially with Jose Ramirez likely sitting again with an injured shoulder.
I'm high on Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo, who was occasionally brilliant last season, even if his overall output was uneven.
With Cleveland sending lefty swingman Kolby Allard to the hill, I like the Reds to do enough early damage to preserve a win.
Pick #3: Angels moneyline
Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga faded down the stretch last season, and there are plenty of questions surrounding whether or not he can be a viable part of this rotation.
On paper, I like Imanaga more than Los Angeles Angels starter Mitch Farris, but not enough to ride with -155.
The Angels can stack the order with right-handed bats like Jo Adell and Mike Trout. If this were at Wrigley Field, I'd be less inclined to take the upset, because the wind often suppresses fly balls, helping Imanaga keep his ERA low, especially in colder weather.
In Arizona, he's much more susceptible to the long ball.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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