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Also, check out Underdog Fantasy’s daily pick ’em contests. All you have to do is pick higher or lower on two or more projected stat categories, and you can win up to 20 times your entry. Today, I have you covered with three higher or lower plays for your April 8 entry. Let’s get right into it!
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Underdog Fantasy MLB Daily Pick ‘Em Plays – April 8
All Pick ‘Em Selections Record: 6-2 (75%)
Perfect 3-0 Pick Em Entries: 1
William Contreras Higher than 1.5 Total Bases
The Brewers are looking quite strong out of the gate in 2024. At 6-2, they sit in second place in the NL Central. On Monday, the Brew Crew take on their division rival, the Cincinnati Reds. One of the reasons for Milwaukee’s hot start is their catcher, William Contreras. Contreras is batting .387 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs.
He’ll face Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft on Monday. Ashcraft started the season strong, pitching 6.0 innings against the vaunted Phillies offense while only surrendering 2 earned runs.
I love Contreras in this spot because of his career numbers against Ashcraft. Contreras is 5/8 with a walk, double, and homer. He is also swinging a hot bat, having hit safely in his last four games.
Oneil Cruz Higher than 8.0 Fantasy Points
The Pittsburgh Pirates are tied for the best record in baseball at 8-2. Yes, you read that correctly. The Buccos’ offense has been firing on all cylinders this season thanks to Bryan Reynolds, Connor Joe, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Oneil Cruz. Cruz has carried over his hot spring training to the regular season.
Cruz is hitting .333 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs. With Cruz, you get a lot of power, a lot of speed, and a lot of striking out. The Pirates take on the Tigers on Monday, who will go to Reese Olson to start.
I like this matchup for Cruz because Olson is a right-handed pitcher who doesn’t tend to particularly blow you away with his fastball, his average fastball velocity being 94.8 MPH. I went with Fantasy Points here because of Cruz’s stolen base potential, especially late in games.
Marcell Ozuna Higher than 1.5 Total Bases
The Braves picked up right where they left off last season, putting up runs, runs, and more runs. On Monday, the Mets come to town for a four-game series. The Braves have owned the Mets over the last few seasons. In their last 20 games against each other, the Braves are 16-4.
Atlanta will face off against Julio Teheran, the former Brave, who will be making his first start of the season. New York signed Teheran just five days ago after Tylor Megill went on the IL with a shoulder injury. Teheran signed a minor league deal with the Orioles ahead of Spring Training but failed to make the opening-day roster.
Marcell Ozuna has seen Teheran a lot over the years. In 54 at-bats, he has 19 hits, 4 of them home runs. Ozuna is also swinging a very hot bat coming into Monday’s game vs. New York. I’m expecting a huge Ozuna game here.
If you want to tail this pick’em roster but aren’t using Underdog Fantasy for daily pick’em already, sign up today and use promo code ‘SGPN,’ and they’ll match your very first deposit. You can also get even more help on your MLB plays for April 8 by listening to the MLB Gambling Podcast.