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As the first official week of MLB action comes to a close, the tradition of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball is finally back. This is where fantasy baseball matchups are won and lost, and where a late same-game parlay may just be what turns your sports betting week around. We have the Braves in San Diego looking to avoid losing four straight, facing off against Nick Pivetta who makes his Padres debut. Braves fans shouldn’t worry too much though, as many of you will remember the last time this team started out 0-4 was just a few years ago, when they ultimately went on to win it all.
The Padres are -125 money-line favorites (risk $125 to win $100) while the Braves are +106 underdogs (risk $100 to win $106). The total comes in at 8. You can view the latest model projections for Braves-Padres and all other MLB games only at SportsLine.
Angelo Magliocca, a regular contributor to The Early Edge and CBS Sports HQ, is a seasoned MLB handicapper up 123.5 units over the last three MLB seasons. He’s put together a three-leg parlay for Sunday Night Baseball, with one of the legs giving the Braves their first win of the new campaign. You can view all expert picks for Braves-Padres, as well as other MLB games, only at SportsLine.
Braves vs. Padres SGP (+525 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
Braves money line
Manny Machado was removed from last night’s game as a “precaution” due to a calf cramp, and I could see Padres manager Mike Shildt giving Machado the night off here to rest before Cleveland rolls into town tomorrow. It helps that San Diego has started out the year 3-0, and while missing Machado is tough, the Padres do have Jose Iglesias to easily fill in for him. I’m backing the Braves to eek a win out finally and avoid a potentially disastrous start to the season. This Atlanta team travels to LA to face the Dodgers after Sunday and could be in a really tough spot if it doesn’t leave San Diego on a high note.
Fernando Tatis 2+ total bases
I’ll bet on Fernando Tatis Jr. to come up big with 2+ total bases against youngster AJ Smith-Shawver, who hasn’t seen him since that first inning home run in the Wild Card series last year. In a game where the weather is pointing towards a lack of run production and a ballpark that does that anyways, Tatis is one of the bats I am still willing to back.
First 5 innings total Under 5.5 runs
Speaking of that weather, the sun could also cause problems in the early going since the shadows at Petco Park will likely be in between the pitcher and batter for the first few innings. I have some value on the Under for the alternate total of 5.5 runs in the first five innings, which aligns with the weather implications, so we’re going to roll with this 3-leg parlay, which also qualifies for all boosts on DraftKings.
