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MLB Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (5/31)

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In our 3-0 Memorial Day edition of our best bets column, we cashed two plus-money wagers (nearly three), which has us brimming with confidence as May comes to an end.

Here are our MLB best bets for Wednesday.

Today’s Best MLB Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Atlanta Braves (-235) vs. Oakland Athletics (+194)| O/U 9.5 (+100/-122)

The Oakland Athletics took advantage of Atlanta Braves righty Mike Soroka’s first start since August 2020 in the series opener, scoring seven runs, which was their highest scoring output since putting nine runs on the board on May 16. Now the A’s are in their better hitting split when facing southpaw Jared Schuster, as they rank just outside the league’s top half in OPS against left-handed pitching. 

Conversely, Oakland clearly does not have the most confidence in James Kaprielian, demoting him to the bullpen for a short stint after he pitched to a 12.15 ERA through three starts. Kaprielian has done well to limit the damage to a 4.24 ERA in three May starts despite facing the Houston Astros twice and the Texas Rangers. However, a Braves offense that ranks in the top two in the majors in wRC+ and OPS should have his number.

The A’s are just 1-22 in day games this season, which has us projecting them to allow a number of runs. The Over is 3-1-1 in the last five meetings between these teams, and is 4-1-1 in Atlanta’s last six interleague road games. Expect a high-scoring affair on getaway day today.

Pick: Over (+100)

Los Angeles Angels (+116) vs. Chicago White Sox (-136) | O/U 9.5 (-104/-118)

Lance Lynn is the only Chicago White Sox starting pitcher with a negative WAR, largely because he has a poor 5.83 ERA and has allowed 12 home runs in 63.1 innings. While Lynn is a workhorse, averaging a team-high 100.5 pitches per start, his pitch count tends to run high, thanks in part to a 10.2 K/9 rate tied for the best among the team’s starting pitchers.

Lynn has won three consecutive starts and four of five this month. Still, we are not buying his recent stretch where he has pitched to a 1.89 ERA, considering those three starts came against the three lowest-scoring teams in the American League not named the Athletics. Lynn has faced five teams with a winning record and has failed to complete six innings in three of them.

The White Sox will have to adjust to different pitchers through the first five innings as the Los Angeles Angels us Jaime Barria as an opener. Thus, we give the advantage early on to the Angels, who have won 10 of their last 15 meetings in Chicago, and who have won six of seven games against teams with a winning percentage under .400 (the White Sox were under .400 before yesterday’s win).

Pick: Angels First Five Innings ML (+110)

Washington Nationals (+194) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (-235) | O/U 9.5 (-110/-110)

Patrick Corbin has turned his season around after finishing April with a 5.72 ERA and 1.48 WHIP, as he is 3-1 with a 4.02 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in five May starts. Corbin has been an innings-eater of late, completing 6+ innings in five consecutive starts and seven of eight. However, the fact that he has thrown 96+ pitches in three of four starts is precisely why we expect this prop to cash, as Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez should give Corbin a longer leash even if the Los Angeles Dodgers hang some crooked numbers.

Corbin has allowed a .299/.380/.514 slash line to current Dodgers hitters. But three of L.A.’s less-heralded hitters (Miguel Rojas, Trayce Thompson, and Austin Barnes) have done most of the damage, which lowers the ceiling considerably for Corbin. That trio is a combined .404 (23-for-57) against Corbin with more extra-base hits (seven) than strikeouts (five). That is dangerous considering that a more dangerous hitter like Freddie Freeman is amid his third-longest active hitting streak (19 games) of his career and is slugging .456/.522/.807 over the last 15 games.

The Under is 3-0-1 in Corbin’s last four starts with four days of rest, but L.A. is 13-1 in its last 14 home games, scoring 6+ runs in nine of them. That is a level we expect the Dodgers offense to reach tonight against Corbin, who has seen at least 13 combined runs scoring in two of his last three outings.

Pick: Dodgers Team Total Over 5.5 (-110)

Also make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:


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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.