The Boston Red Sox have been hit hard by injuries of late, with first baseman Triston Casas the latest to go down, as he was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a left rib strain. He has six home runs and 10 RBIs in 22 games this season. Third baseman Rafael Devers (knee) and outfielder Tyler O’Neill (concussion) did not play this weekend, but might be ready by Tuesday against Cleveland. Here’s a look at two intriguing early-week matchups around MLB.

Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week (April 22nd, 2024)

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New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants

• When: Monday, April 22, 2024, 9:45 PM ET
• Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
• TV: SNY, NBCSBA
• Radio: WCBS Newsradio 880 AM (Mets) // KNBR 104.5 FM (Giants)
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• MLB Betting Odds: Mets (+102) // Giants (-118)

Series opener at 9:45 p.m. ET and available for streaming on ESPN+. The Mets got some bad news over the weekend, with good-looking young catcher Francisco Alvarez going down with a torn ligament in his left thumb that will require surgery and sideline him 6-8 weeks. Alvarez suffered the injury during Friday’s game versus the Dodgers when he planted his left hand into the ground after stumbling on his turn toward second base.

Despite getting off to a slow start at the plate, Alvarez still collected five extra-base hits over his first 59 plate appearances while rating in the 92nd percentile in Statcast’s catcher framing metric. Overall, he was slashing .236/.288/.364 with one home run. Beyond the numbers, Alvarez has been a popular clubhouse presence, known for his gregarious nature and tireless work ethic.

“You hate to see it,” Manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We don’t know how long he’s going to be out for, but we know how much energy he brings and the way he was playing. But at the same time, next guy up. It’s an opportunity for other guys to step up.”

With Alvarez on the shelf, Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido will handle the catching duties for the Mets. Nido was called up from Triple-A to take Alvarez’s roster spot. The Mets had removed Nido from their 40-man roster last June, but he’s back on it now for the first time in 10 months.

Lefty Jose Quintana will take the hill Monday for New York. Quintana (1-1) allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four batters across five innings in a no-decision en route to a 3-1 victory over the Pirates last Tuesday. Pittsburgh was able to put runners on base relatively consistently against Quintana, but a fifth-inning RBI single off the bat of Bryan Reynolds ended up producing the only run Pittsburgh would score all day. The 35-year-old Quintana now owns a 3.05 ERA across 20.2 innings through four starts, though his 1.50 WHIP is a cause for concern.

After missing all of last season injured, Mets closer Edwin Diaz has been in All-Star form in the early going. His current save streak of 27 consecutive games is the longest active in the majors. It is his second-longest of his career. Díaz career-best is a 28 save streak from June 2-August 15, 2018.

It’s young righty Keaton Winn for the Giants. Winn (1-3) earned the win last Wednesday at Miami after he allowed a run on four hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four. He kept the Marlins off the board until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Bryan De La Cruz launched a solo homer to tie the game 1-1. Winn then closed out the frame, and the Giants took the lead in the top of the seventh to put him in line for his first win of the campaign. The 26-year-old surrendered seven runs across his first two starts of the season but has bounced back in his last two outings with 2.70 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB over 11 innings.

MLB Betting Pick: Giants

Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees

• When: Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024, 9:05 PM ET
• Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
• TV: NBCSCA, YES
• Radio: BLOOMBERG 960 AM (Athletics) // WFAN 660 AM (Yankees)
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• MLB Betting Odds: TBA

The Oakland A’s have been a lot more competitive than expected and are scheduled to start their ace on Tuesday in 2022 All-Star right-hander Paul Blackburn (2-0). He allowed three runs on six hits and five walks over 5.2 innings in a win over the Cardinals last Wednesday, striking out seven.

Blackburn struggled with his command early, surrendering a leadoff single to open the game before walking two batters in the first inning. He then went 1-2-3 through the next two innings, even striking out the side in the second, but was tagged for three runs in the fourth after allowing three consecutive hits to begin the frame. Blackburn had not allowed a run through his first three starts coming into Wednesday’s matchup. It was also the first time this season in which he failed to make it through at least six innings. Blackburn holds a stellar 1.08 ERA on the season, though he’s now issued seven walks over his last two starts.

“Paul could have easily been an Opening Day starter for us this season,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “I think putting him in that fourth spot behind JP [Sears] and giving the two veteran guys the first and second positions really solidified for Paul that he just has to be himself. That’s what he’s done all season. He’s executing all his pitches. He’s really comfortable, and he’s got some confidence right now.”

If the A’s don’t get great pitching, they likely don’t win, as they have been held to two runs or fewer 1- times already and are averaging just 2.9 runs per game. Oakland has been shut out three times, which is tied for second most to the White Sox (6). The A’s have been held to five hits or fewer in nine games and are batting .207 overall, which is third lowest in the majors. They also have the second lowest on-base percentage (.276), fourth-lowest OPS (.622) and sixth lowest slugging percentage (.345). The A’s are 6-3 when scoring first.

The Yankees are in the midst of a 17-day stretch without an off day. Seven of New York’s wins this season are come-from-behind. The Yanks have recorded four wins this season when trailing after six innings. They had just six such wins in 2023. Closer Clay Holmes has not allowed an earned run over 11.0 innings this season, going 1-0 with eight saves (11.0IP, 12H, 3R/0ER, 1BB, 8K, 2HP).

It’s right-hander Marcus Stroman (1-1) on the hill here. Stroman did not factor into the decision last Wednesday against Toronto, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over. 5.1 innings. He struck out two. Daulton Varsho’s two-run homer in the second inning accounted for the only runs against Stroman, but the Yankees couldn’t take the lead until the ninth, leaving him with a no-decision. Stroman hasn’t earned a win since his first start of the year against Houston and has a 2.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 19:9 K:BB through his first four starts (22.1 innings).

MLB Betting Pick: Athletics

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