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The fourth weekend in April just might be one of the most underrated sports weekends of the year.
The top two favorites to win this year’s World Series begin a four-game weekend series in Los Angeles. Two NHL games feature the top two teams in their division and the NBA offers up a pair of games featuring NBA Finals favorites.
Here are the best bets this weekend.
Padres @ Dodgers
On Sunday, San Diego and Los Angeles will finish a four-game series. The starting pitchers are none of the household names that make up most of the rotations for both teams.
For the Padres, it will be Chris Paddack (1-2) and for the Dodgers Dustin May (1-1) gets the start. May has given up five earned runs in his 15.1 innings of action. He actually has the highest strikeout rate per nine innings (12.9) of all Dodgers’ pitchers.
Paddack, who just lost his last start, has given up 18 hits in 18 innings and has the lowest strikeout rate per nine innings among Padres pitchers. Paddack’s ERA thus far is 3.50.
Both teams can hit and score runs. Though it’s early, L.A. is third in runs scored and fifth in team batting average. The Padres are in the upper half of the league in both categories. The Dodgers could be without Cody Bellinger (leg) and 2B Gavin Lux who is also on the 10-day IL. Bellinger began workouts again; Lux has not.
Whether they play or not, the Dodgers still have plenty of power in the lineup. The Dodgers are also 6-0 at home. L.A. did take two of three games from San Diego last week in a three-game series.
With the No. 5 starters on the mound for each team, one would think the offenses would take over. The thing is with these two teams and the two pitchers, the game total is likely to be 8 or higher.
In all MLB games that have not gone to extra innings so far this season, the Under has hit over 54 percent of the time. The total has gone Under in the Dodgers past four games. Two of those were against the Padres. Play the Under down to 8.
Click here to see our best bets for last weekend.
Hurricanes @ Panthers
Carolina and Florida are the top two teams in the Central Division just ahead of last year’s Stanley Cup winner Tampa Bay. The series between the two teams this season has gone the way of the Hurricanes.
Carolina lost the first game of the season to Florida but has won five straight over the Panthers since. Florida has not beaten Carolina at home this season. Saturday’s game is in Florida.
There have been three one-goal games in the series thus far. With the two battling for first place and the top seed in their divisional playoffs, betting the puck line just doesn’t make sense.
The total, on the other hand...well, Carolina is fourth in the league in goals allowed per game (2.43). The Hurricanes haven’t allowed Florida more than three goals since the first time the teams played.
Carolina’s last four games have gone Under the posted total. In a dogfight with a division rival in a battle for first place. Play the Under down to 6.
