On Tuesday, we kicked the week off with a 2-1 night.
Today, we go for a sweep.
There are seven games on the slate today, with many teams having off days for travel to begin their weekend series.
However, today is also a great day for fans. Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. will make his long-awaited return to the Padres, putting their lineup at full strength for the first time since they acquired Juan Soto.
Before we get to Tatis, though, there are two pitchers I am targeting on the opposite coast.
Let's begin with Nestor Cortes Jr. in New York, as his Yankees will be going for the series win against the Los Angeles Angels.
MLB Player Props For Thursday, April 20
Nestor Cortes Jr. Over 17.5 Outs Recorded (-115)
| Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees | |
| First Pitch | 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
Cortes has gotten off to another solid start for the Yankees. He is 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA through his first three starts.
In order for Cortes to go over this line, he will need 18 outs and a full six innings. Thus far, he has only hit this line in one of his first three starts.
However, he is trending up.
In his first three starts, Cortes has thrown five, 5.1 and seven innings. His pitches have also increased from 80 to 91 to 93.
That tells me that Cortes should be fully stretched out and ready to go deep into this ball game.
Aaron Boone also may need some innings from Cortes today. Rookie Jhony Brito went 4.1 innings last night and the Yankees' bullpen threw 5.2 innings, including 2.1 from the reliable Michael King.
For Cortes to make that happen, he will need a solid outing. However, I don't expect that to be too much of an issue.
Cortes is capable of stymying any lineup, including one with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. Last June, Cortes tossed seven scoreless innings against the Angels at Yankee Stadium.
Tonight, we just need six to clear this line.
Pick: Nestor Cortes Jr. Over 17.5 Outs Recorded (-115)
Ryan Feltner Over 2.5 Earned Runs (-130)
| Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies | |
| First Pitch | 6:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
The Colorado Rockies head to Philadelphia having lost eight games in a row. They allowed 14 runs twice in their three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Tonight, they will hand the ball to Ryan Feltner, and I would not expect a better pitching performance from him.
I was trying to decide the best way to fade Feltner between a few props, and decided earned runs was the way to go.
For his career, Feltner has a 6.46 ERA in 117.1 innings. This season, he is 0-2 with a 8.78 ERA in his first three starts. Feltner has allowed three runs in each of his first three starts, including five in two of them.
He has a 1.95 WHIP this season, so he is likely to have a lot of traffic on the base paths. He has walked three batters in each of his first three starts.
Feltner will face a Phillies offense that is starting to heat up of late. In their last six games, the Phillies have been shut out twice. However, they have scored five runs in each of the other four games and seven or more runs in three of them.
The top of the Phillies' lineup could get to Feltner early.
Leadoff man Bryson Stott is hitting .365 and has a hit in 18 of 19 games this season.
Trea Turner is hitting .321 and hit his first home run of the season yesterday.
Kyle Schwarber is a threat to go deep whenever he steps in the batter's box.
A first inning cash would be great, but I expect Feltner to give up three earned runs at some point in this game.
Pick: Ryan Feltner Over 2.5 Earned Runs (-130)
Fernando Tatis Jr. Over 2.5 Hits + Runs + Runs Batted In (+105)
| San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| First Pitch | 9:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
The last 18 months have been rough for Fernando Tatis Jr., as he has battled injuries and faced a suspension.
Tonight, he will be eligible to return from his 80-game suspension and will make his return to the Padres' lineup.
Tatis may need a few games to get up to speed. However, I am targeting him here because he has a flair for the dramatic.
He may just hit a home run in his first at-bat, and that would clear this line in one swing, giving him one in each category.
Tatis is expected to bat leadoff in this loaded Padres lineup. Even if he does not drive himself in with a home run, his teammates are more than capable.
That will be the case on most nights, with Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts batting behind him. If Tatis gets on base (preferably via a hit), he will be in a good position to score a run.
Tatis will face Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson, who has been solid this year with a 3.71 ERA. In his last start, Nelson allowed just one run on five hits in six innings against the Miami Marlins.
However, he did allow three runs on six hits in five innings against the Padres on April 3.
I like the Padres and Tatis' chances of getting to Nelson again.
