Top MLB Betting Odds & Picks for Monday, May 9th (2022)
It has been a fantastic start to the season for big market baseball teams, as the two New York teams and the two Los Angeles teams occupy first place in four of the six divisions.
We have a slightly larger Monday slate than usual, as Mother Nature postponed two weekend games (Royals-Orioles, Rangers-Yankees) to today on what would have been an off-day for all four teams. It will be interesting to see how warmer temperatures impact games at the end of the week, as many East Coast cities will have 80-degree days on Thursday and Friday.
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 >>
Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees ML
This is purely a value play, as the Yankees did nothing offensively in Sunday’s doubleheader to prove they are worthy of being this big of favorites. New York has one of the streakiest offenses in baseball, and right now, one may be able to catch them amid a cold streak. The Yankees scored just four runs on eight hits in 18 innings yesterday while striking out 12 times. And manager Aaron Boone is typically cautious with his guys in day games, especially after playing two games yesterday, so it would not be surprising to see one of New York’s big hitters resting today.
Texas is one of two teams (Angels the other) that Luis Severino (2-0, 3.75) is winless against when he has made at least three starts against them. In addition, Severino has allowed seven earned runs in his last 11 innings against two subpar offensive teams (Royals and Orioles). Considering he pitched just 18 innings over the previous three seasons coming into this year, it is fair to wonder if he is suffering from fatigue early in the season.
The Rangers have won five of their last seven games as underdogs and are worth a play at this price this afternoon.
Bet: Texas Rangers ML (+185 at DraftKings)
Los Angeles Dodgers First Five Innings Team Total vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Dodgers played late on Sunday Night Baseball last night and flew into Pittsburgh in the wee hours of the morning. Thus, they are likely to be lethargic tonight, especially since this is their fourth game in three days. They are facing Dillon Peters (3-1, 2.16a), one of the most fascinating stories of the young season that not many people may know.
Per StatsBySTATS on Twitter, Peters’ .041 slugging percentage allowed is tied for the lowest to start a season for any pitcher through 49 at-bats since 1974. Peters has not pitched more than 3.1 innings in any of his nine appearances and failed to retire any of the four Cincinnati hitters he faced in his last outing. However, he had allowed just two hits in his 16.2 innings before that, despite making appearances against two of the National League’s highest-scoring teams (Milwaukee and San Diego) three times.
Shutting down the Dodgers’ lineup would be his most significant accomplishment to date, but we expect him to be up to the task considering L.A.’s demanding flight schedule. However, we do not trust the rest of the Pirates bullpen in the later innings, so we are keeping this wager to just the first five innings team total.
Bet: Los Angeles Dodgers Team Total UNDER 1.5 Runs (+130 at DraftKings)
Bet $5, Win $200 on Any MLB Moneyline
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our How To Bet and Sports Betting Strategy and Advice pages are for you. You can get started with our How To Section — including How to Avoid the 7 Biggest Sports Betting Mistakes — or head to more advanced strategy — like Thinking Like an Expert Sports Bettor — to learn more.
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.