Pitching matchups for Friday’s MLB games

We have 15 games on deck in MLB Friday, with the first game beginning at 6:35 p.m. ET between the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. There will be a few aces on the mound that will give us something to watch. We are going to look at the best pitching matchup and the sleeper pitching matchup that could turn out to be a pitchers’ duel.

Best Matchup: Shane Bieber vs. Dallas Keuchel

The best pitching matchup on Friday night might be out of the AL Central between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. Bieber will be on the mound for the Indians, while Keuchel will get the start for the White Sox. Bieber, who won the AL Cy Young last season, is looking to bounce back from his last start against New York. The 25-year-old ace allowed four hits, two earned runs (two HRs), three walks, and struck out nine in 7.0 IP.

Meanwhile, Keuchel is trying to build off his start last weekend against the Texas Rangers. The veteran starting pitcher went six shutout innings, only allowing seven hits and striking out two batters. This season, the 33-year-old starter has a record of 1-0 and an ERA of 4.32 in five starts. The White Sox need to win this series as the Indians are only 1.5 games behind for second place in the division.

Sleeper Matchup: Brady Singer vs. Michael Pineda

We are going to stay in the AL Central for our sleeper match as the first place Kansas City Royals will be taking on the Minnesota Twins. Brady Singer has vastly improved from his rookie season in 2020 and is starting to put together quality outings.

The 24-year-old pitcher has a record of 1-2, but an ERA of 2.95. In Singer’s last start against the Detroit Tigers, he only allowed three hits, one earned run, and struck out eight in 7.0 IP. It was Singer’s first win after starting out the season 0-2. As for Pineda, it appears that he is picking up where he left off last season. The 32-year-old starter got roughed up in his last start against the Pittsburgh, where he gave up six hits (two home runs), four earned runs, but still struck out five in 4.1 IP. Coincidentally, it was Pineda’s shortest start of the young season.

Here’s a look at the pitching matchups for Friday’s 15-game MLB slate on April 30th.

Cardinals vs. Pirates: John Gant vs. JT Brubaker
Tigers vs. Yankees: Tarik Skubal vs. Gerrit Cole
Marlins vs. Nationals: Pablo Lopez vs. Joe Ross
Mets vs. Phillies: Marcus Stroman vs. Chase Anderson
Cubs vs. Reds: Jake Arrieta vs. Wade Miley
Astros vs. Rays: Lance McCullers Jr. vs. Ryan Yarbrough
Braves vs. Blue Jays: Drew Smyly vs. Robbie Ray
Red Sox vs. Rangers: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Kohei Arihara
Indians vs. White Sox: Shane Bieber vs. Dallas Keuchel
Royals vs. Twins: Brady Singer vs. Michael Pineda
Dodgers vs. Brewers: Undecided vs. Freddy Peralta
Orioles vs. Athletics: John Means vs. Mike Fiers
Rockies vs. Diamondbacks: Jon Gray vs. Madison Bumgarner
Angels vs. Mariners: Andrew Heaney vs. Chris Flexen
Giants vs. Padres: Logan Webb vs. Yu Darvish