After a week away on my honeymoon with the missus, we’re back — and I did my best to keep up with the happenings around MLB from the Dominican Republic. Can’t ask for much more than to come back on a Sunday, too, as a heavy slate of day baseball reminds us how things should be.

The first pitch of nine games goes down before 2:30 p.m. ET this afternoon with five of them providing divisional matchups.

Bear with me as I try to shake the rust off as we delve into the day’s full schedule of games. While I’ll post a pick for each game, don’t feel like you have to do the same. The most important thing about sports betting and gambling is knowing your limitations and wagering when you feel comfortable doing so.

Also, we recommend checking the Fangraphs Probables Grid to see the likely starting pitchers from each game with clickable links to get the most in-depth information on each pitcher.

New to betting? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Betting with a glossary of terms

MLB odds, schedule: April 24

Colorado Rockies (9-5) at Detroit Tigers (6-8), 1:10 p.m. ET

The Rockies are defying early expectations thanks to an offense that’s been one of the best in baseball so far, ranking fourth in MLB with 5.17 runs per game. It’s been CJ Cron carrying the offense, though, posting a 1.178 OPS with six home runs and 16 RBI through 12 games (48 ABs). Despite losing the first game of this series 13-0, the Tigers still have the 10th-best team ERA in MLB at 3.28.

COL Starting Pitcher: Chad Kuhl (1-0, 0.87 ERA, 0.871 WHIP, 7.9 K/9)
DET Starting Pitcher: Tyler Alexander (0-1, 4.26 ERA, 1.263 WHIP, 8.5 K/9)
The Pick:

Boston Red Sox (7-8) at Tampa Bay Rays (8-7), 1:10 p.m.

The Rays continue to get things done despite not having a flashy lineup. Their 4.50 runs per game, which is the eighth-best in baseball, but their pitching has been below average at 3.75 (19th). Boston hasn’t been much better, with a team ERA of 3.82 while averaging just 3.86 runs per game.

BOS Starting Pitcher: Rich Hill (0-1, 7.00 ERA, 1.556 WHIP, 6.0 K/9)
TB Starting Pitcher: Shane McClanahan (0-1, 2.40 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 14.4 K/9)
The Pick:

San Francisco Giants (10-5) at Washington Nationals (6-11): 1:35 p.m.

The Giants have the 10th-best offense in MLB at 4.43 runs per game, scoring a combined 12 runs over their last two games against Washington. Their pitching has been superb, though, with a team ERA of 2.51 (3rd in MLB). At the opposite end of the spectrum lays the Nationals, who have a mediocre offense at 3.56 runs per game, but their pitching (5.01 ERA) is third-worst in the majors.

SF Starting Pitcher: Logan Webb (1-1, 2.55 ERA, 1.075 WHIP, 5.6 K/9)
WSH Starting Pitcher: Joan Adon (1-2, 5.87 ERA, 1.630 WHIP, 7.6 K/9)
The Pick:

Miami Marlins (6-8) at Atlanta Braves (7-9), 1:35 p.m.

Two NL East clubs possess two similar offenses — despite one being a bottom-dwelling club and the other trying to defend a World Series title. The Braves are averaging 3.80 runs per game (17th) while the Marlins are posting 3.46 runs per game (20th). Miami’s pitching has been far superior to Atlanta’s with a 3.08 ERA (9th) compared to Atlanta’s mark of 4.33 (24th).

MIA Starting Pitcher: Jesus Luzardo (2-2, 4.82 ERA, 1.286 WHIP, 14.5 K/9)
ATL Starting Pitcher: Bryce Elder (1-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.400 WHIP, 6.3 K/9)
The Pick:

Cleveland Guardians (7-7) at New York Yankees (9-6), 1:35 p.m.

The Guardians’ numbers suggest they should be better than a .500 ballclub. They average the second-most runs per game in baseball (5.31) with a team ERA of 2.97 (7th). Meanwhile, the Yankees are finding ways to win despite an offense that ranks 25th — much of that having to do with a stable of arms posting a 2.47 team ERA (2nd in MLB).

CLE Starting Pitcher: Aaron Civale (0-1, 6.14 ERA, 1.636 WHIP, 9.8 K/9)
NYY Starting Pitcher: Gerrit Cole (0-0, 6.36 ERA, 1.412 WHIP, 9.5 K/9)
The Pick:

St. Louis Cardinals (9-4) at Cincinnati Reds (2-13), 1:40 p.m.

Lo and behold, the Cardinals sit atop the NL Central despite being tabbed as the second or third best team in the division heading into the season. Their offense ranks seventh in MLB (4.5 runs per game) and their pitching is eighth (3.00 ERA). At the bottom of the division are the Reds, who have the third-worst offense and worst pitching staff in the majors.

STL Starting Pitcher: Adam Wainwright (2-1, 2.81 ERA, 1.375 WHIP, 10.7 K/9)
CIN Starting Pitcher: Nick Lodolo (0-2, 8.00 ERA, 2.000 WHIP, 12.0 K/9)
The Pick:

Toronto Blue Jays (10-5) at Houston Astros (6-8), 2:10 p.m.

The high-powered Blue Jays aren’t clicking on all cylinders yet, averaging 4.00 runs per game (15th in MLB). Their pitching has been just as mediocre, ranking 18th in the league with a 3.73 ERA. Houston’s attack has been even gloomier, ranking 23rd in the league (3.38 runs per game).

TOR Starting Pitcher: Yusei Kikuchi (0-1, 3.24 ERA, 1.560 WHIP, 5.4 K/9)
HOU Starting Pitcher: Luis Garcia (1-0, 2.79 ERA, 0.931 WHIP, 7.4 K/9)
The Pick:

Chicago White Sox (6-8) at Minnesota Twins (7-8), 2:10 p.m.

Injuries are destroying the White Sox, who were shoo-ins to run away with the AL Central this season. A bottom-10 offense is being supplemented by a middle-of-the-road pitching staff that didn’t have a starter listed as short as four hours before first pitch on Sunday.

CWS Starting Pitcher: TBD
MIN Starting Pitcher: Chris Archer (0-0, 2.16 ERA, 1.080 WHIP, 8.6 K/9)
The Pick: PASS (White Sox starter unknown as of 10:35 a.m. ET)

Pittsburgh Pirates (7-8) at Chicago Cubs (7-8), 2:20 p.m.

The low-budget Pirates have scored more runs than the likes of the White Sox, Brewers, Astros, and Yankees this season. Though they’re flirting with .500, a bottom-six pitching staff was just scorched for 21 runs on Saturday. Even after they beat Pittsburgh by three touchdowns, the Cubs’ offense still only ranks 12th in baseball with a pitching staff ranked sixth-worst in baseball (4.50 ERA).

PIT Starting Pitcher: JT Brubaker (0-2, 7.30 ERA, 1.622 WHIP, 9.5 K/9)
CHC Starting Pitcher: Justin Steele (1-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, 7.5 K/9)
The Pick:

Baltimore Orioles (6-9) at Los Angeles Angels (8-7), 4:07 p.m.

Baltimore’s offense is non-existent, averaging a league-worst 2.36 runs per game. However, things have looked up recently with 14 runs scored in their last three contests. If the offense can scratch anything together, they could surprise some people thanks to a team ERA that ranks fifth-best in MLB (2.80). Granted, the team received a huge blow with John Means needing Tommy John surgery. The Angels have the sixth-best offense in the league at 4.86 runs per game but the pitching still remains an issue with a 4.21 team ERA (eighth-worst in MLB).

BAL Starting Pitcher: Chris Ellis (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.615 WHIP, 4.2 K/9)
LAA Starting Pitcher: Jose Suarez (0-1, 5.19 ERA, 1.615 WHIP, 5.2 K/9)
The Pick:

Texas Rangers (5-9) at Oakland Athletics (8-8), 4:07 p.m.

The Rangers could be going with a bullpen game as Garrett Richards makes his first start of the season after four relief appearances. That might not be good news for them considering their bullpen has the third-worst ERA in the league (4.52). The struggles have canceled out an offense that is tied for second with 5.31 runs scored per game. The Athletics, who were expected to nosedive after cleaning house are still treading water behind a top-10 offense averaging 4.47 runs per game.

TEX Starting Pitcher: Garrett Richards (0-0, 4.50 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, 9.0 K/9)
OAK Starting Pitcher: Cole Irvin (1-1, 4.32 ERA, 1.260 WHIP, 5.4 K/9)
The Pick:

New York Mets (11-5) at Arizona Diamondbacks (6-9), 4:10 p.m.

The Mets are getting superior pitching, ranking fourth in baseball with a 2.67 ERA. They’re also getting the offense to support the arms, finally, averaging 4.87 runs per game (fifth in MLB). Arizona has hung tough with the Mets, though, pulling out a 5-2 win on Saturday night despite having the fifth-worst offense in the league. Their pitching has exceeded expectations with a 3.41 ERA, good for 12th best.

NYM Starting Pitcher: Tylor Megill (2-0, 2.20 ERA, 0.918 WHIP, 8.3 K/9)
ARI Starting Pitcher: Madison Bumgarner (0-1, 1.38 ERA, 1.385 WHIP, 6.2 K/9)
The Pick:

Los Angeles Dodgers (10-4) at San Diego Padres (10-6), 4:10 p.m.

The Dodgers offense is living up to expectations, posting a league-best 5.38 runs per game. So has the pitching, which leads the majors with a 2.27 team ERA. But the Padres aren’t going anywhere in what could be a massive three-horse race in the NL West.

Their offense without Fernando Tatis remains above average with 4.13 runs scored per game while the pitching has been serviceable, ranking 11th with a 3.34 ERA.

LAD Starting Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw (2-0, 3.00 ERA, 0.500 WHIP, 15.0 K/9)
SD Starting Pitcher: Sean Manaea (2-1, 1.42 ERA, 0.789 WHIP, 9.0 K/9)
The Pick:

Kansas City Royals (5-8) at Seattle Mariners (9-6), 4:10 p.m.

The Royals have the second-worst offense in the league and the ninth-worst team ERA this season while the Mariners have the sixth-best team ERA (2.80) with an offense that has scored four or more runs in each of its last six games.

KC Starting Pitcher: Carlos Hernandez (0-0, 7.27 ERA, 1.962 WHIP, 1.0 K/9)
SEA Starting Pitcher: Robbie Ray (2-1, 4.19 ERA, 1.241 WHIP, 6.1 K/9)
The Pick:

Milwaukee Brewers (9-6) at Philadelphia Phillies (6-9), 7:08 p.m.

The Phillies continue to have a bullpen problem with the worst relief stable in the league. Their starters haven’t been much better as Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola continue to disappoint. They face a Brewers offense that is averaging just 3.43 runs per game with a pitching staff that possesses an ERA of 3.54.