Let's dive into our top MLB picks from this small seven-game slate. Here are our top MLB picks for Thursday, May 9.
Thursday's MLB Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Houston Astros (+114) at New York Yankees (-135) | O/U 8.5 (-115/-105)
The Astros' troubling season continues. They have lost four in a row, six straight to the Yankees, and are sitting dead last in the American League West. The pitching has been horrible all year, and the starters have been shelled in both games. Ronel Blanco had that no-hitter at the start of the season, which has propelled him to an incredible season with a 2.09 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.
The Yankees bats are the best they've looked all year, and that's saying something. Juan Soto continues to mash as he's 6-for-9 in this series, Aaron Judge has four hits and a home run, and Giancarlo Staton has gone deep twice. Marcus Stroman gets the ball in the finale, and he was great in his first start against Houston, going six and allowing no earned runs. However, Stroman’s large problem we're seeing this season is the control.
The theme has been high-scoring, and we could see the offense on both sides.
Pick: Over 8.5 Total Runs (-115)
St. Louis Cardinals (-125) at Milwaukee Brewers (+105) | O/U 8 (-115/-105)
It's been an absolutely brutal season for the Cardinals. They've lost four straight and are currently sitting last. The pitching has been respectable, but the offense has been horrible, especially the power, as they're 27th in slugging and 29th in home run rate. The highlight of their season has been Sonny Gray. Thanks to his 0.89 ERA, he will be in the NL Cy Young conversation and has three starts of five shutout innings.
The Brewers are in their toughest stretch by losing four of their last five. This team knows it has a great offense, and unlike the Cardinals, it has tons of power, including being fifth in slugging and sixth in home run rate. It's been a brutal start to Tobias Myers's career, as he has to win a game, and Milwaukee is 0-3 when he starts.
The pitching matchup deserves to have the Cardinals as the favorite, and Gray saw the Brewers earlier this season and went six innings, allowed two runs, and struck out 12.
Pick: Cardinals Moneyline (-125)
Arizona Diamondbacks (+105) at Cincinnati Reds (-125) | O/U 9 (-115/-105)
After everything was looking great for the Reds at the start of the season, the wheels are falling off. They've lost seven straight, pushing them under .500 and into fourth place. The bats are almost non-existent as they've dropped to a .209 team batting average, which is last. We are finally seeing the Hunter Greene we've been expecting; the fastball is still as explosive, but we're finally seeing some movement, and he's staying off the heart of the plate, and hitters aren't getting the barrel on it.
The Diamondbacks came into this series going 3-7 in their last ten. There isn't one side of the ball to blame; the pitching allowed an average of 5.5 runs per game while only scoring 1.6. The 4.96 ERA doesn't look good for Slade Cecconi, but most of that comes from his last start against San Diego, where he allowed six earned. His previous two outings were quality starts, and he had a 2.75 ERA between them.
The books went a little too high with this total. Cecconi will fair better against a bad Cincy lineup, and Greene should continue to roll.
Pick: Under 9 Total Runs (-105)
