Prop Up Arozarena to Hit Homer

When it comes to the MLB news, Michael Lorenzen stole the show on Wednesday by throwing his first career no-hitter as he pitched in front of the home fans for the first time as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. That’s not a bad way to make a good first impression.

The 7-0 win over the Washington Nationals was tied with the Chicago White Sox beating the New York Yankees for the most lopsided score on Wednesday. There were six one-run games with the team listed by the MLB predictions as the favorite winning four of those contests.

There are just eight games on the schedule on Thursday with the MLB spreads favoring the home and visiting team four times each. One of the home favorites will be the Los Angeles Dodgers as Clayton Kershaw returns to the mound for a team that has won four games in a row.

According to MLB playoff odds, the Atlanta Braves (+350) have the best odds to win the World Series, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers at +450. Houston (+650), the Tampa Bay Rays (+700) and the Texas Rangers (+800) aren’t far behind.

Thursday’s Best Bets

Baltimore rookie infielder Gunnar Henderson has hits in each of the first two games of the series against Houston so keep that in mind when looking at the +115 moneyline for Henderson to go over 1½ total bases in Thursday’s series finale.

It is also worth checking out the odds set by the sportsbook for Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon to go over 1½ total bases, considering that he has four home runs and seven extra-base hits in 71 career at-bats against Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Check live-betting odds leading up to the first pitch.

Randy Arozarena loves the big stage and what would be better for Arozarena than to hit a home run against the team that traded him three years ago. The Tampa Bay outfielder is 3-for-8 in the first two games in the series against St. Louis, but all three hits are singles. Look for him to swing for the fences in the series finale as he has +430 odds to hit a home run on Thursday.

No Hits for You

Michael Lorenzen found the perfect way to endear himself to the home crowd at Citizens Bank Park.

Lorenzen tossed the 14th no-hitter in Philadelphia Phillies franchise history and first since Cole Hamels in 2015 in his first home appearance since being acquired from the Detroit Tigers.

Lorenzen did walk four batters but was given the chance to finish the no-hitter despite a high pitch count. He retired the last 10 batters to finish off his first career no-hitter while finishing with 124 pitches thrown.

Nick Castellanos led the offense with two home runs and three RBIs in the 7-0 win over the Washington Nationals.

Welcome Back

Not only have the Los Angeles Dodgers won four games in a row to open up a six-game lead in the National League West Division race, now they are getting back ace Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw hasn’t pitched since allowing one hit and no runs in a June 27 win over Colorado.

He is expected to come off the injured list after working his way back from a shoulder injury.

Kershaw is 10-4 with a 2.55 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 16 starts. Kershaw could have as many as 10 more starts and he would need to average 8.8 strikeouts over that span to reach 3,000 strikeouts.

Acuna a Quick Healer

There were concerns when National League Most Valuable Player front-runner Ronald Acuna Jr. left Tuesday’s game after being hit by a pitch.

Acuna was not only in the lineup on Wednesday, he had three hits as the Braves edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5. Acuna had his career-high 29th double of the season and is hitting .341 with 26 home runs, 69 RBIs and 53 stolen bases.

Teammate Matt Olson’s 11-game streak with at least one RBI came to an end as he was walked three times. Michael Harris, the No. 9 hitter, had three hits and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly as the Braves improved their MLB-leading record to 72-40.

Will Ronald Acuna Jr be in the Hall Of Fame? pic.twitter.com/p2aohWrLkU

— Ari (@ariblach) August 9, 2023

Flexing Their Muscles

Castellanos wasn’t the only player to display his power on Wednesday.

Josh Bell, playing in his eighth game for his new team since being acquired from the Cleveland Guardians, became the first player in Miami Marlins history to hit a home run from each side of the plate in the same game.

Bell tied the game against Cincinnati with a three-run home run in the eighth inning and Bryan De La Cruz put Miami in front with a solo home run in the ninth inning in the 5-4 win.

Bell is batting .323 with three home runs since joining the Marlins.

Rookie Zack Gelof hit his sixth home run of the season as the last-place Oakland Athletics stunned the American League West-leading Texas Rangers 2-0. Five pitchers combined to hold the highest scoring team in the majors to four hits.

Spencer Torkelson hit a pair of home runs as Detroit topped Minnesota 9-5. Jose Siri of the Tampa Bay Rays also hit a pair of home runs in a 6-4 loss to St. Louis. M.J. Melendez of the Kansas City Royals also went deep twice to give him four HRs over the last four games after going eight games in a row without a home run.

A day after hitting the game-deciding grand slam, Kyle Tucker homered again as the Houston Astros took their second straight against the American League-leading Baltimore Orioles. Meanwhile, Pete Alonso of the New York Mets hit a home run for the third game in a row in a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs to give him 35th homers this season.

Remember Me?

Matthew Liberatore will be remembered as being a part of an ill-advised trade by the St. Louis Cardinals.The former first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays was part of the 2020 trade that sent outfielder Randy Arozarena from St. Louis to Tampa Bay.

Arozarena is two home runs shy of his third straight season with at least 20 homers and is a major reason why Tampa Bay is in the thick of the American League playoff race.

Liberatore is 3-6 in 19 games over the last two seasons with the Cardinals. This will be the first time he will pitch against the team that drafted him.

Injury Update

Here is a look at the injuries that could impact Thursday’s action.

Philadelphia outfielder Brandon Marsh is on the injured list with a knee issue.

Colorado Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers has missed the last two games with a tender hamstring and he is questionable for Thursday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For the Dodgers, it is uncertain if designated hitter J.D. Martinez will be in the lineup as he is dealing with hamstring and groin injuries. Keep an eye on the status of Rodgers and Martinez when it comes to the Las Vegas odds in this matchup.

Minnesota infielder Donovan Solano has a knee injury and he is questionable for Thursday’s game with Detroit.

St. Louis outfielder Tyler O’Neill is questionable with a knee issue as the Cardinals face Tampa Bay.

Boston infielder-designated hitter Justin Turner is still slowed by a heel injury and he is questionable for the matchup with Kansas City.

The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.