Major League Baseball has a great slate of games on deck today for our viewing and betting pleasure. One of the many joys of baseball is the wide variety of ways in which we can bet on the boys of summer. If you like options, there are certainly plenty of them when it comes to baseball games.
So, with that in mind, here are our best MLB bets for Sunday, May 3.
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Sunday’s Best MLB Picks & Predictions
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Minnesota Twins
- First Five Innings: Toronto ML at -106 (FanDuel)
Minnesota starter Joe Ryan has pitched well over the years against the Blue Jays lineup, posting an OBA of .245 in 102 at-bats while allowing just two home runs. Earlier in the season, he pitched seven innings vs. the Blue Jays in Toronto, holding them to two hits and two earned runs. But I'm going with the Blue Jays to win the first five innings based on his season debut last week vs. Boston (5 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 3 strikeouts, no earned runs). I don't see a Minnesota lineup hitting .234 this season, figuring him out after one start.
New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Angels
Take the Mets run line? Am I nuts? Maybe, but in this case, I may be right. Yes, the Mets have been struggling, but they have one thing going for them in this game: Clay Holmes (3-2 in six starts with a 1.75 ERA and 0.97 WHIP). Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz has been pitching well (2-0, 3.09 ERA, 1.20 WHIP). But the bullpen will be the Angels’ downfall in the end (5.53 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, .253 OBA).
Kansas City Royals vs. Seattle Mariners
- First Five Innings: Kansas City ML at -110 (FanDuel)
Seattle starter Luis Castillo has a solid history against the Royals lineup (.205 OBA). But since pitching six solid innings against the Yankees in his season debut, Castillo has struggled. He has an 8.06 ERA across five starts in April. Bubics has been hit hard by the Mariners in the past (.350 in 40 at-bats), but has been the better pitcher this season.
Over the last week, the Royals have been hitting .252 while the Mariners have struggled at the plate (.224).
Texas Rangers vs. Detroit Tigers
- First Five Innings Total: Over 4.5 at -114 (FanDuel)
My first thought was to target the game total, but if Texas pulls Leiter early, its bullpen (2.63 ERA, best in MLB) could shut the Tigers out the rest of the way. Detroit is going with a bullpen day; it's not a great 'pen’, but it's not a bad one either (4.17 ERA). Leiter has allowed 3+ runs in his last four starts. Texas hasn't been great at the plate, but if they can chip in one run (at least), we'll probably see over 4.5 runs scored in this game's first five innings.
