MLB Predictions Today: Odds, Picks for Cardinals vs Giants, Rays vs White Sox, More on April 27

There are 11 games on the Thursday, April 27, MLB slate and our experts have found some betting opportunities.

We looked over the MLB odds and found betting value in a trio of games. Our MLB betting experts are targeting a team total, a first-five innings moneyline and a full-game total.

Continue reading for their best bets and analysis.

Thursday's MLB Best Bets

The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our MLB betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click the team logos for one the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.

Game	Time	Pick
	12:20 p.m. ET	Braves Team Total Over 4.5 Runs
	3:45 p.m. ET	Giants 1st 5 Innings Moneyline
	7:10 p.m. ET	Over 7.5 (+100)
Specific bet recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our MLB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game.

Marlins vs. Braves

Thursday, April 27 12:20 p.m. ET MLB.TV

Braves Team Total Over 4.5 Runs

By Doug Ziefel

The Braves have been crushing the ball early this season.

They are leading the majors in barrel rate, hard-hit rate and average exit velocity. If you watched Wednesday, you saw just how explosive Atlanta can be as it scored all six of its runs in the final four innings.

The Braves are in line to feast against Braxton Garrett, who is due for some sizeable regression. Garrett has a 5.07 xERA, which is due to the amount of hard contact he’s allowed thus far.

Garrett ranks in the bottom half of the league in hard-hit rate and average exit velocity allowed. However, to make this matchup even better, the Braves have been one of the best teams against lefties.

Atlanta is third in the majors in wRC+ and second in wOBA against lefties. The Braves should do damage early and often against Garrett.

The Marlins had their chance to steal a game in this series on Wednesday, but the bullpen was unable to hold the lead. That battered bullpen will help our angle for this matchup as well.

The Braves should hit Garrett hard. However, they’ll also have plenty of opportunities to score against a Marlins bullpen that boasts the second-worst FIP in baseball.

Take the over on the Braves team total, which should probably be a run higher given the matchup.

Pick: Braves Team Total Over 4.5 Runs

Bet Atlanta Instantly at FanDuel with QuickSlip!

Cardinals vs. Giants

Thursday, April 27 3:45 p.m. ET MLB Network

Giants 1st 5 Innings Moneyline

By William Boor

Logan Webb is 1-4 with a 4.40 ERA through five starts and although those numbers don't exactly jump off the page, a quick look at his advanced metrics shows a turnaround might be just around the corner. The 26-year-old right-hander struck out eight and yielded just two runs over seven strong innings in his most recent outing. Was that a sign of things to come?

Webb's xERA (3.47) is nearly a full run better than his ERA and he ranks in the 80th percentile or better in the following categories: K%, BB%, Chase Rate and Extension. Yes, Webb is giving up some hard contact (27th percentile in HardHit%), but he'll be facing a lineup that has underwhelmed and will be pitching at home, where he's yielded just three earned runs over his past 13 innings.

Like Webb, Miles Mikolas' surface-level stats (0-1, 7.46 ERA through five starts) leave plenty to be desired. However, Webb's advanced metrics showed good things may be on the horizon. Mikolas doesn't appear to be so lucky. The Cardinals' right-hander has given up three earned runs or more in four of his five starts, has a 7.31 xERA and ranks below the 10th percentile in Whiff%, xSLG, xBA and xERA/xwOBA.

Overall these offenses have been about even, both averaging roughly 4.5 runs per game. However, the Giants have fared much better against right-handed pitching (.812 OPS entering Wednesday) than the Cardinals (.729 OPS).

Additionally, the Giants have simply been playing well. San Francisco has won five straight while the Cardinals have lost three in a row and are just 3-7 in their past 10.

St. Louis does have a bullpen advantage in this game, but San Francisco boasts both the better lineup and starting pitcher. So, let's bet the Giants to get off to a fast start on Thursday afternoon.

Play the Giants first five innings moneyline down to -150.

Pick: Giants 1st 5 Innings Moneyline | Play to -150

Bet the Giants Instantly at FanDuel with QuickSlip!

Rays vs. White Sox

Thursday, April 27 7:10 p.m. ET MLB.TV

Over 7.5 (+100)

By Collin Whitchurch

We bet this exact same pitching matchup and this exact same total last weekend and wound up with a push, but now we're getting the same number in a much more appealing run-scoring environment.

Shane McClanahan was absurd in that start last Saturday at the Trop, generating an astounding 31 whiffs on 88 pitches. He allowed two runs on two solo home runs, but was otherwise untouchable.

The White Sox are an absolute train wreck right now, performing comparable to the worst teams in the league and coming off back-to-back shutout losses to Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi, two of our favorite pitchers to fade over the past calendar year.

Still, lefties remain the White Sox's stronger split, and while McClanahan was incredible last weekend, it's tough to imagine a repeat performance. Besides, even with that performance, we wound up with a push.

Dylan Cease continues to miss bats at an elite rate, but still walks too many hitters and was lucky to escape Saturday's loss with only three earned runs considering he allowed six hits, plenty of hard contact and somehow only walked one.

It's going to be cold on the South Side of Chicago on Thursday night, but the wind shouldn't be a factor, and the run scoring environment at Guaranteed Rate is far more appealing than that of the Trop. Combine that with two overworked bullpens that hitters are familiar with, and it's a great spot for us to get past last weekend's push and cash an over.

As of this writing, the line is available at a few books at 7 (-125) but I'm confident enough in this over that I like the 7.5 being offered at +100 even better. I'd bet the 7 to the listed number and 7.5 to -110.

Pick: Over 7.5 (+100) | Play to -110

Bet the Over Instantly at FanDuel with QuickSlip!