MLB Spring Training - Wednesday 3/11/20 - Best Bets, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Spring training continues for Major League Basketball on Wednesday with a loaded 13 games slate.  With that being said, let’s take a closer look at 3 of them that really stand out. 

St. Louis Cardinals (9-8) @ New York Mets (7-9)

The Cardinals have gone 4-0-1 in their last 5 games and have won 4 games in a row, while the Mets are 1-2-2 in their last 5.  The Cardinals have a team average of .254 after 17 Spring Training games with an on base percentage of .348 and have hit an impressive 24 home runs so far.  The Cardinals pitching has been decent as they have a team ERA of 3.54.  The Mets have struggled offensively so far through 16 Spring Training games as they are hitting just .220, with an on base percentage of .293.  Luckily for the Mets, their pitching has been getting the job done, with a team ERA of 3.21.  If the Cardinals are able to get to the Mets pitchers early, it shouldn’t be hard to come away with a win, as the Mets offense doesn’t have enough power to play catch up.  I’m going with the Cardinals in this one.

Pick: St. Louis Cardinals ML +115

Atlanta Braves (6-10) @ Minnesota Twins (7-7)

The Braves and Twins have each gone 2-2-1 in their last 5 games and both teams will be looking to improve as they get closer to Opening Day.  Atlanta has been awful at the plate during Spring Training as they are hitting just .219 through 16 games and have an on base percentage of .285.  But there is good news for Braves fans as their team ERA is currently 3.42.  One bright spot for the Braves pitching staff this spring is the pitching of Felix Hernandez who has an ERA of 1.98 so far and is looking to resurrect his career in Atlanta.  The Minnesota Twins hope the power surge from 2019 continues this season as they look for their second consecutive American League Central title.  So far this Spring Training, the Twins have an average of .227 while hitting 21 home runs and have an on base percentage of .298.  The Twins pitching staff has been decent so far, with a team ERA of 3.54.  With both teams still trying to answer questions in their lineup and pitching rotation, this should be an interesting matchup, but I have to go with the Twins.

Pick: Minnesota Twins ML -135

New York Yankees (10-7) @ Florida Marlins (11-5)

The Yankees have gone 2-2-1 in their last 5 games, while the Marlins have gone 2-1-2.  New York is heavily favored in the American League this season but have already been hit by the injury bug in Spring Training, with players such as Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge both going with injures.  The Yankees have a team batting average of .246 with an on base percentage of .335.  New York’s pitching is currently holding an ERA of 3.62.  The Miami Marlins are off to a surprising start so far this spring with 11 wins in 16 games for a team that is figured to finish dead last in the National League East.  The Marlins are currently hitting .244 as a team with an on base percentage of .311.  The Marlins pitching staff has an ERA of 3.35.  A very intriguing number in the stat line between these two teams is the fact that Miami has a higher slugging percentage than New York, as the Marlins are at .411 while the Yankees are sitting at .376.  As the injuries continue to pile up for the Yankees, I’ll take my chances with the Marlins in this one.

Pick: Miami Marlins ML +115