Vegas Play of the Day: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Sunday, March 29, 2015 | 8 a.m.

Here’s the latest installment of the Play of the Day, which uses odds from the South Point. Our three sports writers started with a $10,000 bankroll — fictional, of course.

Atlanta Braves -120 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: $480 to win 400 It appears sports book are trying to give money away to bettors who wager on exhibition baseball. My suggestion would be avoid betting those hard-to-handicap Elite Eight games today, where I like Michigan State but don’t have enough courage to put our fake contest money on the Spartans, and focus on the America’s pastime. Baseball’s Opening Day is next week — there’s money to be made.

A quick search online yields valuable information to favor Atlanta over Pittsburgh. The Pirates are using a lineup of mostly reserves — minor league prospect Austin Meadows, Triple-A shortstop Pedro Florimon and catcher Wilkin Castillo, and strikeout machines Jung-ho Kang and Andrew Lambo — and Stolmy Pimentel as the starting pitcher. Pimentel won’t be part of the Bucs rotation.

The Braves are playing their regulars, including Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis, Jonny Gomes and others. Their pitcher, Shelby Miller, pitched four scoreless inning March 17 and should be one of Atlanta’s best pitchers.

Standings: Keefer (71-71-2, $10,007), Bern (71-65-1, $9,976), Brewer (63-75-3, $3,205)

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21