Top MLB Betting Odds & Picks for Monday, May 23rd (2022)
Sunday’s Major League Baseball action proved how difficult it is to complete series sweeps. Ten teams (if you include the Guardians in a two-game series) had chances to finish off sweeps yesterday, and just four teams did (Padres, Twins, Red Sox, Cardinals). Among the more surprising losses of teams going for a sweep was the Blue Jays losing to the Reds, who had a rookie on the mound in his Major League debut for the finale. Toronto has not completed a sweep in any series this season despite beginning the year as one of the biggest favorites for the American League pennant.
Which of the 24 teams in action today will start the week off on a positive note?
Here are our best bets for Monday’s MLB action. (Odds courtesy of DraftKings)
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet >>
Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ML
Let me get this straight. The Rockies, who are three games better than the Pirates, travel to Pittsburgh to start a three-game series against a Pirates team with the worst run differential by a wide margin at -88. In addition, Colorado has its only starting pitcher on the mound with a better than .500 record, Chad Kuhl (3-2, 3.86), who faces a Pirates starter still looking for his first win in JT Brubaker (0-4, 5.50). And to top it all off, not only is Pittsburgh favored, but the line has moved in its favor from -125 to -130? Maybe oddsmakers are factoring in the cross-country flight the Rockies had to make after a tough weekend series with the Mets. But whatever the reason for this “fishy†line is, I will bite.
Bet: Pittsburgh Pirates ML (-130 at DraftKings)
Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees First Five Innings O/U
It will be interesting to see how the Yankees respond to a rare losing streak in this series opener against the Orioles. New York has not lost back-to-back games since the third and fourth games of the season, and yesterday’s 5-0 defeat in the second leg of the doubleheader against the White Sox was its second loss of more than three runs this season. Meanwhile, the Orioles look to build off the momentum of a home sweep of the Rays, a team that had dominated them at Camden Yards in recent years.
New York played three games over the weekend in 90+ degree heat, which forced manager Aaron Boone to get creative with his lineup, especially on Sunday. Estevan Florial played in his second game and catcher Rob Brantly his first so as to not overwork his regular starters. Boone may also have bullpen issues tonight, as all of his key relievers pitched at one point, and most threw at least 14 pitches over the weekend.
It is perfect timing that New York can send ace Gerrit Cole (4-0, 2.89) to the mound, who will be counted on to eat innings. However, we are focusing on the first five innings total to take the bullpens entirely out of the equation. Entering Sunday, the Yankees led the majors in runs scored in the seventh inning or later, while they were tied for 11th in runs scored through the first six innings. Therefore, we expect New York’s offense to start slowly while Cole keeps his team in the game by shutting down the Orioles.
Bet: Orioles-Yankees F5 Innings UNDER 4 (-105 at DraftKings)
Toronto Blue Jays vs. St. Louis Cardinals O/U
It is a wonder the Blue Jays are three games over .500 (22-19), considering their offense has not gotten it going yet. While many teams can point to cold climates through the first month and a half of the season for reasons for their slow starts offensively, the Blue Jays have no such excuse, given they play their home games indoors at the Rogers Centre.
Toronto has scored more than three runs twice in its last ten games and has averaged just 2.2 runs per game over the previous five against Cincinnati’s and Seattle’s pitching staffs, who rank 25th or worse in ERA. It does not get much easier against St. Louis’ Miles Mikolas (3-2, 1.68), who ranks sixth in the league in ERA and 12th in WHIP (0.99).
Bet: Blue Jays-Cardinals UNDER 8 (-110 at DraftKings)
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.