Sunday is here and we have 3 plus-money wagers for today’s loaded slate of MLB action. A side, a team total and a player prop comprise this article, so let’s dive right in and discuss my 3 favorite betting angles for Sunday. Don’t forget our MLB predictions for analysis and picks on EVERY game throughout the season, as well.
MLB Best Bet: Atlanta Braves -1.5 over Philadelphia Phillies (+115)
Odds available at DraftKings sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to +105.
The Atlanta Braves have gotten off to a very strong start in 2026. They enter Sunday with an MLB-leading 19 wins, backed by both strong pitching and offensive play. Chris Sale is set to make his 6th start of the season and his 2nd consecutive start against this Phillies lineup. Philadelphia will get the benefit of increased familiarity this time around, and they will need it after scoring just 1 run off Sale in his 7 innings of work last Saturday.
That said, Sale benefits from extended rest between these matchups, and he knows how to deal with close-proximity rematches at this point in his career. Entering Sunday, Sale has a 2.79 ERA with a 3.16 xERA to back it up, and the matchup is ideal on paper. Philadelphia ranks dead last in wOBA against left-handed pitching this season, while posting a wRC+ of 63. Sale also has success against active Phillies across his career.
Aaron Nola is the scheduled starter for Philadelphia, as the veteran right-hander makes his 6th start of the season. Nola has allowed 3 or more earned runs in 4 of his first 5 starts, including a season-worst 5 earned runs to the Cubs in his last start. That last outing spanned just 4.1 innings of work, as Chicago drew 4 walks and earned 6 base hits off him. Nola’s 5.06 ERA has a 4.73 xERA beside it, and his lack of command has been the most worrisome part so far. Atlanta has been beating up on opposing right-handers, ranking 2nd in wOBA with a 118 wRC+ so far. Furthermore, active Braves have a combined .899 OPS against Nola across a massive 365 plate appearance sample. I look for Atlanta to win this game by multiple runs.
Check out our Braves vs Phillies prediction
MLB Best Bet: Seattle Mariners First 5 Innings Team Total Over 2.5 (+110)
Odds available at DraftKings sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to +100.
The Seattle Mariners have had a slow start to their season, entering Sunday with a 13-15 record. They have won 5 of their last 7 games, however, including the first 2 games of this series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Seattle is a team I believe in over the course of the season given their pitching depth and the star power atop their lineup. That lineup is the focus of today’s bet, as I am targeting the over on their team total through the first 5 innings of play. If you don’t have a first 5 innings team total available on your sportsbook, I am fine with their full game total over 4.5 at -110 odds or better.
Michael McGreevy is the scheduled starter for the Cardinals on Sunday, as the right-hander is set to make his 6th start of the season. McGreevy enters play with a 3.29 ERA, but I find issues in his underlying metrics that I would like to attack. His 3.29 ERA is shadowed by a 6.65 xERA, and I believe regression is soon to come. He ranks just 3rd percentile in whiff rate, and he is not drawing opponents out of the zone — ranking 18th percentile in chase rate. McGreevy refuses to walk people, so everything is in the zone. He has been fortunate to allow a .199 BABIP so far, but his .299 xBA ranks 10th percentile. McGreevy has allowed 4 home runs so far in April due to an 11th percentile barrel rate, and this is not a matchup I like against a powerful Seattle lineup. The Mariners rank 9th in wOBA with a 112 wRC+ against right-handed pitching so far, while sporting the 5th highest hard-hit rate.
We have a play on the money line in our Mariners vs Cardinals prediction
MLB Best Bet: Reid Detmers (LAA) Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+101)
Odds available at DraftKings sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -120.
My last best bet of the day is a strikeout prop on Reid Detmers. The southpaw hurler has been a rollercoaster ride for Angel fans during his career, flashing elite upside but then struggling for large portions of seasons. So far through his first 5 starts, we have seen a bit of both sides, but I am still willing to buy in on his upside. Detmers has proven capable of generating whiffs even when struggling in the past, and I believe those whiffs will translate to 6 or more strikeouts on Sunday.
Detmers has tossed 28.2 innings so far, striking out 31 batters. His 74th-percentile whiff rate and 90th-percentile chase rate are among several red circles on his baseball savant page. The lefty has actually remained under this 5.5 strikeout prop in 3 of his 5 starts so far, but he has shown his ability to rack them up with 9 Ks against both the Astros and Yankees. Now Detmers gets a matchup against a Kansas City lineup that has struggled to hit left-handers this season.
The Royals sit 26th in wOBA with a 70 wRC+ against southpaw pitching through their first 286 plate appearances. Their 24.5% strikeout rate is the 10th-highest clip in that sample, and they have struck out 6 or more times against 5 of 7 left-handed starters they’ve faced. That list includes Chris Sale, Joey Cantillo, Kyle Harrison, Anthony Kay and Ryan Weathers. Detmers has 3 pitches with a whiff rate of 34.4% or higher, and 4 pitches with at least 5 Ks this season. Look for a strong outing from him in this matchup Sunday night.
We have more MLB best bets, as our experts look to improve on their 13-7 start to the season on these picks
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