The lead in the NL East could change hands this week when the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves square off in a rare five-game series, starting Thursday at Citi Field. New York (66-38) has won eight of its last nine games to build a 3.5-game lead in the division. Meanwhile, Atlanta (63-42) has won four of its last five and is in second place. On Thursday, the latest Mets vs. New York is a -120 favorite. Brave odds from Caesars Sportsbook while Atlanta is a +100 underdog.
First pitch is set for 7:10 pm ET from Queens, N.Y. The game is one of 13 on the MLB schedule for Thursday. Elsewhere in the majors, the Astros’ Justin Verlander picked up his MLB 15th win of the season and the Cardinals and Cubs play a doubleheader in St. Louis. LOUIS Before making any MLB picks or parlays, make sure View MLB predictions and betting tips from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine projection model simulates each MLB game 10,000 times, and it enters Week 18 on the top-rated MLB picks on a 20-14 roll, returning about $400 for $100 players. This is the same model that projected the 2021 Atlanta Braves as one of the three best bets to go 10-1 last season. Anyone who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has locked down four confident MLB best bets for Thursday. All of these include games at 7:10 pm ET or later, so there’s still time to get them. MLB picks. If you parlay the pick successfully, you’ll be looking at a payout of over 19-1. You can. Watch Model’s MLB Picks only on SportsLine.
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The model, which ran 10,000 simulations on each of Thursday’s games, favors Detroit (+158) to knock off Tampa Bay. The Rays enter the game a bit sluggish after losing eight of their last 11 games. He averaged just 2.6 runs per game during the skid.
Also, Javier Baez of the Tigers has hit lefties well this season. The Detroit shortstop is hitting .333, slugging .568 and leads the team with a .909 OPS against southpaws this season. On Thursday he faces Tampa Bay lefty Jeffrey Springs, who has a 5.23 ERA in his last five starts.
Featured game | Detroit Tigers vs. Tampa Bay Rays
How to Make MLB Picks and Parlies for Thursday
Modell also locked down three other best bets for Thursday, including a play on a major American League underdog. You can catch Model’s MLB Thursday best bets and parlays only on SportsLine..
Which MLB picks should you pick to pay over 19-1? And which underdog does the model like on Thursday? Visit SportsLine now to see the MLB best bets from an advanced model on the 20-14 roll on advanced MLB moneyline picks..