Monday’s Major League Baseball slate starts at 6:35 p.m. ET. It features only three games. Two team totals are the most appealing bets on the small slate. Check out our 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
Washington Nationals (+128) at Detroit Tigers (-155) | O/U 8.0 (-118/-102)
The Tigers have a tasty matchup tonight. According to FanGraphs, rookie Jackson Kent has a 6.40 ERA, 5.35 xERA, 5.01 xFIP, 5.50 SIERA, 1.76 WHIP, 15.2 BB%, and 17.9 K% in his first seven starts in the Majors. He’s allowed 24 runs (23 earned runs) across 32.1 innings in those starts.
The 23-year-old lefty has also been punished by all hitters. The 39 left-handed batters who’ve faced him have creamed him for a .353 wOBA, and 112 right-handed batters have teed off for a .344 wOBA.
The Nationals also have a dreadful bullpen. Washington’s relievers are tied for 28th in ERA (5.04) and have a 4.85 xFIP this season.
The Tigers don’t have a world-beater lineup. At the same time, six of their projected starters have tallied at least a 95 wRC+ against left-handed pitching since 2024, and three have posted at least a 122 wRC+. It’s a group that can take advantage of a cushy matchup and scratch across at least five runs tonight, and with the action juiced to the Under, the even odds for Over 4.5 runs are enticing.
Pick: Tigers Team Total Over 4.5 Runs (+100)
Washington Nationals (+128) at Tigers (-155) | O/U 8.0 (-118/-102)
Could bettors opt to bet Over 8.0 Runs at -118 for this game instead of betting the Tigers Over 4.5 Runs and the Nationals Over 3.5 Runs? Sure. However, I like the overs for both team totals.
River Ryan is the opener for the Tigers. The 28-year-old righty hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2024. In eight Triple-A starts this year, he had a 4.39 ERA, 4.16 xERA, and 3.51 xFIP. Ryan has struggled to strand baserunners (65.2 LOB%), contributing to the gap between his ERA and ERA estimators. That said, Ryan has had ups and downs in that capacity throughout his professional career, so it would be unwise to dismiss the strand-rate issues as merely poor luck.
Keider Montero has a 3.58 ERA in 25 starts and six relief appearances this year. His 3.61 xERA suggests he hasn’t been lucky, but his 4.68 xFIP and 4.58 SIERA suggest otherwise. In addition, the other shoe has dropped for Montero. In his last four appearances (all starts) lasting only 17.1 innings, Montero has been crushed for a 5.71 ERA, 4.40 xERA, 5.25 xFIP, and 5.14 SIERA.
Washington’s lineup has some firepower. Keibert Ruiz (110 wRC+), Daylen Lile (112 wRC+), CJ Abrams (139 wRC+), and James Wood (157 wRC+) have each recorded at least a 110 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this year. They have some weak spots beyond that quartet, but 3.5 runs is a low enough bar for their top-heavy lineup to surpass.
Pick: Nationals Team Total Over 3.5 Runs (-120)
Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.