Monday’s Major League Baseball (MLB) action features all 30 teams. The games begin at 4:10 p.m. ET. However, the two most inviting betting options are found at night. Gamblers who like run scoring are in luck, as an over for a team total and an over for a game are exciting wagering opportunities. Find out top MLB picks & predictions below.
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Monday’s Best MLB Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Athletics (+119) at Atlanta Braves (-143) | O/U 9.5 (-101/-119)
The Athletics haven’t earned a win through three games this season, and they’ve scored only 11 runs. They blew up for seven runs against the Blue Jays in their second contest, but produced precisely two runs in each of their other two games.
The offense has a get-right matchup tonight. Bryce Elder was putrid last season. According to FanGraphs, he had a 5.30 ERA, 4.72 xERA, 4.04 xFIP and 4.29 SIERA in 28 starts in 2025. Elder coughed up 1.38 HR/9, and he yielded a .307 wOBA to left-handed batters and a .365 wOBA to right-handed batters. There wasn’t a favorable way to dice up Elder’s numbers.
The Braves hurler was especially bad at home. In 15 home starts in 2025, Elder coughed up a 6.55 ERA, 4.82 xFIP, 1.71 WHIP and 1.40 HR/9.
Elder’s struggles last year weren’t a recent development, either. Among 114 pitchers with at least 200 innings pitched since 2024, Elder has an MLB-high 5.59 ERA.
The Athletics have some firepower to rough him up, despite their slow start this season. Seven of their projected starters have recorded at least a 105 wRC+ against righties since 2024, with five batters logging at least a 114 wRC+ and three tallying at least a 127 wRC+. As a result, I love the Athletics’ +105 odds to go over their team total of 4.5 runs.
Pick: Athletics Team Total Over 4.5 Runs (+105)
Cleveland Guardians (+169) at Los Angeles Dodgers (-207) | O/U 8.5 (-121/+100)
Roki Sasaki’s signing with the Dodgers came with much fanfare, but he’s failed to live up to the lofty expectations. The 24-year-old righty had the following stats in 10 appearances (eight starts) spanning 36.1 innings in the regular season last year:
- 4.46 ERA
- 5.67 xERA
- 5.53 xFIP
- 5.52 SIERA
- 1.43 WHIP
- 13.7% walk rate
- 17.4% strikeout rate
The Dodgers used him out of the bullpen, including closing, in the postseason. Sasaki’s 0.84 ERA in the postseason might have led some people to believe he turned the corner, but his 5.72 xFIP, 11.6% walk rate and 14% stirkeout indicate he was quite lucky.
Sasaki was also a disaster in spring training. In four starts, Sasaki had a 15.58 ERA, 8.49 xFIP, 2.77 WHIP, 28.8% walk rate and 23.1% strikeout rate. In his eight starts last season, those games produced the following totals for runs: 9, 10, 4, 16, 7, 12, 13 and 25.
The Guardians have been up and down to start their 2026 campaign, alternating between stellar offensive showings and duds. They scored precisely six runs in their first and third games, but tallied only one and zero runs in their second and fourth games, respectively.
Sasaki should coax the best out of Cleveland’s offense tonight. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are 11th in wRC+ (119) and tied for 10th in runs (16) this year through three games.
Parker Messick pitched well in his seven-start debut in the Majors last year, spinning a 2.72 ERA, 3.06 xERA, 3.15 xFIP and 3.43 SIERA for the Guardians. The Dodgers aren’t an average challenge for him, though. Los Angeles can do its part in contributing to the over tonight
Two of the Dodgers’ three games this season have gone over 8.5 runs. Two of Cleveland’s four games went over 8.5 runs. The Dodgers and Guardians should generate enough offense to score more than 8.5 combined runs tonight.
Pick: Over 8.5 Runs (-121)
Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.