Top MLB Betting Odds & Picks for Tuesday, May 3rd (2022)
It might only be the first week of May, but there are plenty of intriguing series around Major League Baseball that will have an October feel. The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays meet for the second consecutive day, and the two teams look like they will battle for the AL East crown until the last day of the season. The same goes for the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, as we are all waiting for the defending World Series champions to get hot. Finally, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers begin a short two-game series to end the night. It is a matchup of two teams that won at least 106 games last season.
Do any of these high-profile matchups catch our eye from a betting perspective?
Here are our best bets for Tuesday’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. Philadelphia Phillies O/U
Last season, the Rangers were abysmal against left-handed pitching, ranking dead-last of all 30 teams with a .652 OPS in 1754 at-bats against left-handed pitching. However, Texas was one of the most active teams this offseason, adding Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to the middle of the infield. The duo is largely responsible for the Rangers’ offensive resurgence against left-handed pitching. The Rangers entered Monday ranked seventh in the league with a .257 batting average and tied for sixth with a .761 OPS against lefties. Their ability to hit lefties is also a big reason the over is 5-1 in their last six road games against left-handed starting pitchers.
Texas faces Philadelphia’s Ranger Suarez (2-0, 4.42), whose transition to a starting pitcher from a reliever has not gone as swimmingly as last year. Suarez’s strikeout per nine innings rate is down from 9.1 to 5.9 this season, and his WHIP is an astronomical 1.636 through 18.1 innings.
Texas counters with Jon Gray (0-1, 7.00), who has struggled in his first two starts in a Texas uniform. Gray’s 5.53 FIP is on pace to be the worst of his career. In addition, he has struggled with Philadelphia’s biggest bats from his days in Colorado, especially Bryce Harper, who is 5-for-15 with two solo home runs against Gray.
Bet: Rangers-Phillies OVER 8.5 Runs (-120 at DraftKings)
Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers RL
It does not take looking at Cincinnati’s 3-19 record to know that it is off to a historically bad start. Entering Sunday’s series finale against Colorado, the Reds’ 3-18 record through 21 games was tied for their worst ever. In addition, their 5.97 team ERA was the third-worst through 21 games, and 99 walks allowed were the fifth-worst. At the plate, their .204 team batting average was second-worst, the 66 runs scored was the fifth-worst, and their 190 strikeouts were the second-worst through 21 games in franchise history. And what did the Reds do in their 22nd game on Sunday? They were blasted 10-1 by Colorado, allowed five walks, amassed just four hits, and struck out five times.
Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff (2-1, 5.30) is not off to the most stellar start this season, especially as he has issued eight walks through 18.2 innings. But he has not allowed a home run in that span, and he had great success when facing the Reds last season. In three starts, Woodruff went 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA and struck out 22 Reds hitters over 17.2 combined innings. He now faces a Reds lineup without Nick Castellanos (traded) and Jonathan India (10-day IL with a hamstring injury) and one that features Joey Votto off to a career-worst start to the season.
Milwaukee is 9-1 in its last ten games against divisional opponents and has covered the runline in eight of its 16 games this season. They will do so once again in this series opener.
Bet: Milwaukee Brewers RL (-105 at DraftKings)
Washington Nationals vs. Colorado Rockies ML
The Nationals impressively took two of three games in their road series against the Giants last weekend and scored 25 combined runs in their two victories. Thus, Washington is getting more respect from oddsmakers than they may otherwise deserve, as San Francisco had several key hitters and pitchers on the COVID-19 IL over the weekend.
Colorado is 9-4 at home this season, the only National League team with at least nine home wins. We also trust German Marquez (0-1, 5.57) on the mound more than Washington’s Erick Fedde (1-2, 6.00). Fedde’s 0.69 ground ball to fly ball ratio is on pace to be the lowest of his career, and that will not play well in the altitude of Coors Field.
Colorado is 5-2 in its last seven home games against Washington. Thus, these moneyline odds are not egregious enough to pass on them altogether or have us looking into runline odds for better value.
Bet: Colorado Rockies ML (-155 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.