Griff's Picks: April 30

Here are my picks for Thursday, April 30: (run lines based off SportsPlays.com)

St. Louis Cardinals (-1.5) vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The Cardinals start LHP Tim Cooney, who'll be making his MLB debut tomorrow against a Phillies' team that's struggled to score runs this season. Philadelphia will be throwing righty David Buchanan, who's 0-3 in his last three starts.

Los Angeles Angels (+1.5) vs. Oakland A's

Garrett Richards gets the start for the Angels, and he'll be facing RHP Jesse Chavez in what will be Chavez' second start of the season. Chavez recently claimed the rotation spot of Kendall Graveman, who was recently demoted back to Triple-A. I like Richards in this matchup, and he will get some help from the Angels' bats.

Washington Nationals (+1.5) vs. New York Mets

This game features two of the best young pitchers in the National League with Stephen Strasburg battling Jacob deGrom. This is kind of a bold pick going against the hot Mets, but Strasburg has found success against the Mets' hitters.

Atlanta Braves (-1.5) vs. Cincinnati Reds

The Braves have been producing runs as of late, posting a 12-spot in a loss against the Nationals on Tuesday night. Shelby Miller takes the hill on Thursday against the Reds, and he's had great success on the mound this season for the Braves. I like the Braves in this game, and Miller will have another great outing.

As always, thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @griffaldo and feel free to tweet me any questions or comments!