MLB 2023 Weekly Preview - Week 2

Summary

The MLB season has kicked off in style and we have week two of action set to take place for our first full week of baseball regular season play.

There is going to be a more sensible and disciplined approach to games now that the first week jitters may be out the way.

Hitters and pitchers alike will lock into the stretch of this season and that may mean we see more consistent results this week.

The first four days of games have been electric, and baseball fans should be optimistic about what’s to come.

A key change to watch out for in the MLB season is the pitch clock which means the game will be sped up to levels we have never seen before.

This could be a great change in the long-run, making everything a more consistent and smooth-flowing process.

There are going to be a ton of questions surrounding the rest of the season, and we are all just kicking it off.

The overall sense is that we will be experiencing an uptrend in fans and the need for more and more marketing towards the game.

Let’s look at some of this week’s best matchups on Stake.com’s sportsbook!

Analysis

Philadelphia Phillies versus New York - Tuesday, April 4th

The Philadelphia Phillies are going to have some tough times at the beginning of this season after multiple star players went down to multiple injuries just before the season started.

Philly is still rocking after a great 2022 season in which they made the World Series and created a huge opportunity for themselves to attract bigger players going forward.

A city that has had a rich sports history, they have the same hope for this season, although it may be less amplified.

Philly have a great team even without their stars for the time being, but their results will be a lot less consistent.

They will have to trucker on in the first few months of this season with heavy hands, but if they can be at around .500 by the time their stars get back it will be more than enough.

They will have a great series to test themselves against the Yankees this week in New York.

A cross-town series for the Yankees as they host Philly will be much needed after a great first week of baseball games for the Bronx Bombers.

Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole were the Yanks top two performers during the first week, and they will be licking their chops to continue a strong start to their season against the Phillies.

Look for the Yanks’ offense to have a deep advantage and for them to get off to another hot start in this series.

Prediction - NYY on the money line as well as over runs scored on Thursday.

San Diego Padres versus Atlanta Braves - Thursday, April 6th

The San Diego Padres and ATL Braves are two top teams in the National League looking to make it out onto the biggest stage of the World Series once again.

Both of these teams have immense talent on their rosters, and they will be hard-pressed to find a better opportunity to prove their worth in the early regular season than a matchup between one another.

This battle will be offensive based and there are going to be runs scored a plenty.

Look for pitchers to play a huge role in determining the winner of this game on Thursday, and it will more than likely be decided by a run or two at max.

Prediction - San Diego Padres to cover the run line spread and the over on total runs at 8 or 9.