MLB Picks and Predictions for Friday, April 17: Fade the Tigers at Fenway
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Fri Apr 17, 2026, 1:45 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
mlb
Major League Baseball has plenty of action on Friday night for us to enjoy. There's even some day baseball going on as the New York Mets face the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field this afternoon. In this piece, our analysts explore some of their favorite MLB picks on the diamond tonight, sharing their best bets and predictions with you. Keep reading for plenty of insights for Friday's MLB slate.
Check out the best odds on the market at our top online sportsbooks.
Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox MLB Picks
Trevor Story leads the Red Sox with 17 RBIs so far this MLB season
Tigers vs. Red Sox Pitching Matchup
- Detroit Tigers: RHP Casey Mize (1-1, 3.94 ERA, 1.44 WHIP)
- Boston Red Sox: LHP Ranger Suarez (1-1, 5.02 ERA, 1.47 WHIP)
Best Bet: Red Sox ML (-131) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Tonight we are fading the red hot Detroit Tigers as they head to Fenway for the start of this weekend series against Boston. The Red Sox escaped the sweep in Minnesota by beating them on Wednesday, and now have had a day off before hosting the Tigers, who hope they can keep playing like this forever.
The Tigers have won six straight games, sweeping the Marlins and the Royals in back to back series. However, those games were at Comerica Park. Now they have to go on the road where they are just 2-8 so far this season. Their splits are absolutely horrendous. Detroit hits .245 as a team, which is very good. However, on the road, that team average drops all the way to .216, and even further to .213 against left handed pitching. Ranger Suarez is on the mound for the Red Sox, and he's figuring things out.
After a couple rough outings, Suarez is coming off pitching six scoreless innings against the Cardinals, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out six batters. The Tigers are coming off an emotional, comeback, walk off win, along with winning six in a row. They've got to come back down to Earth, and I think that starts tonight at Fenway Park.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Arizona Diamondbacks MLB Picks
Back Corbin Carroll and the Diamondbacks to put up plenty of runs at home tonight
Blue Jays vs. Diamondbacks Pitching Matchup
- Toronto Blue Jays: LHP Eric Lauer (1-2, 7.82 ERA, 1.58 WHIP)
- Arizona Diamondbacks: RHP Michael Soroka (3-0, 2.87 ERA, 1.21 WHIP)
Best Bet: Diamondbacks TT Over 4.5 (-105) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Do your line shopping, as always, because I actually found this for plus money. In all sports, but especially in baseball, the price is everything. The odds for this line ranged from -115, all the way to +108 which is what we found, and as bettors, we should always take an extra 22 cents when we can. Regardless, I see the Diamondback's bats coming alive tonight at home.
They are hot and trending in the right direction. Arizona has won two in a row, three of their last four, and six of their last eight overall. This team is scoring 4.4 runs per game this year, and have covered that line in five of their last eight as well. Now for the splits.
Arizona ranks top 10 in batting average over the past week, and their .238 average (which is already respectable) climbs to .280 when facing left handed pitchers. Enter Eric Lauer. He's gotten shelled recently, allowing two runs to the Athletics, two to the White Sox (in just two innings pitched), and seven to the Twins. Against Minnesota, he allowed seven runs on just five hits and five walks. You cannot let batters on base without earning it and expect to keep your ERA down.
This Blue Jays team is just 1-5 away from home, while the Diamondbacks are 5-2 at Chase Field. Everything lines up for this Arizona team to win tonight, and although I'm not going to pay the juice on them to win outright, I definitely think they will do so by scoring plenty. I don't hate taking them on the run line at +148, or even them to not bat in the bottom of the 9th at -105.
Still Want More MLB Content?
Here at Betting News, we offer Free Expert Picks for every major sports league. We also host daily streams on our Twitch Channel with our best bets, as well as sweat out games on Playback! Be sure to tune into everything we have going on at our Youtube, TikTok, and X pages as well. Be sure to follow my personal X account as well, @Shaggy_Bets for my full daily card.
More MLB News
MLB Betting News
MLB Picks and Predictions for June 12, 2026: Backing Two Underdogs
MLB Betting News
(6/11) MLB | The Daily Dinger Report — Thursday Dingers
MLB Betting News
MLB Picks and Predictions for June 10, 2026: Plus Money Wagers
Get FREE Picks and Props Weekly
Sign up for
THE WEEKENDER NEWSLETTER
Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.