Top 3 MLB Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (5/26)
Several fascinating new series begin on this Memorial Day Major League Baseball slate. Six of the 12 games are Interleague matchups, highlighted by the Giants and Tigers in a meeting of two 31+ win teams. Elsewhere, the Guardians host the Dodgers in a series between two playoff teams from a year ago.
Do any of these games make today’s MLB best bets column?
Read on for our top MLB picks for Monday, May 26th.
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Monday's Top MLB Picks
(MLB odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Boston Red Sox (-156) at Milwaukee Brewers (+132) | O/U 7.5 (-104/-118)
The Red Sox send southpaw Garrett Crochet to the mound for this Interleague series opener. While Crochet’s numbers are stellar (4-3, 1.98 ERA), it has not resulted in team success much of late, as Boston is 1-3 in his last four starts.
Milwaukee is also in its better hitting split facing a southpaw, as it is 9-8 against left-handed starting pitchers and 17-20 against righties. The Brewers are just one of three National League teams over .500 against lefties. They are now 5-3 in their last eight games, with no series losses in their last two series (which followed a span of three series losses in their previous four).
The Red Sox have lost two of their last three road series. Being away from Fenway Park for the first time since May 14th will take some getting adjusted to.
Pick: Brewers Moneyline (+132)
St. Louis Cardinals (-112) at Baltimore Orioles (-104) | O/U 9.5 (+100/-122)
The Cardinals are a much better home team than road team, going 19-8 at home and 11-15 on the road. St. Louis averages 4.7 runs per game, bats .242 and owns a .689 OPS in road games. In that split, its starters and bullpen have pitched to ERAs of 3.77 and 5.14, respectively.
Things are not great in Baltimore at the moment. The Orioles already fired their manager, and the home crowds have dissipated over an 18-34 start, while the team also owns the worst run differential in the American League.
But there is value in betting on Baltimore in this game while opposing Erick Fedde, whose road statistics are inflated by a complete game shutout of the lowly Nationals. The Orioles rank third in batting average on balls in play (BABIP) and in the top half of the league in wOBA over the last seven days.
I am riding the hot streak and fading what has been a poor road team to this point in the season.
Pick: Orioles Moneyline (-104)
Toronto Blue Jays (+128) at Texas Rangers (-152) | O/U 7.5 (-112/-108)
The Rangers send Jacob deGrom to the mound, and that usually does not bode well for the opposing team to score many runs.
In deGrom’s last seven starts, the opposition has scored 4, 0, 3, 1, 2, 4 and 3 runs. The Rangers ace has pitched to a 1.80 ERA in four May starts, while posting a K:BB ratio of 29:5. He has allowed three home runs (among his five earned runs total), which is somewhat worrisome when facing a Blue Jays lineup that ranks in the top 10 in home runs hit this month (26).
But I expect deGrom to dominate in this start, as he allowed one run on three hits over six innings in a win in his only career start against the Blue Jays. I am passing on the under given that there is no telling which Kevin Gausman will show up for the Blue Jays, so I am just limiting this wager to Toronto’s team total.
Pick: Blue Jays Team Total Under 2.5 Runs (-108)
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01