After a disappointing 1-2 evening, we're ready for a bounce back! Zac Gallen was his usual dominant self by striking out 7 Marlins and picking up his 5th win of 2023. Unfortunately, that was our only winner of the night.
The Dodgers let us down by getting drilled by the Brew Crew 9-3. Our pick on the Astros also went up in smoke, as they fell 6-4 to the Angels. That's just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes in MLB betting!
Here are 3 MLB Best Bets for Tuesday, May 9. Best of luck with your picks! Let's grind out a 2-1 evening or better!
Best Bet: Rays (-118)
As long as the oddsmakers keep disrespecting this Tampa Bay team, we'll keep betting on them. Baltimore is a tough squad, but they don't hit the ball nearly as well as Tampa. The Rays are averaging 6.29 runs per game against right-handed pitchers.
We love getting an ace like Zach Eflin at this cheap price. The 29-year-old is a perfect 4-0 this year with a WHIP of only 0.96. His WHIP is even better over his last 3 starts at 0.82. The Orioles could have a tough time scoring with Eflin on the mound.
The entire Rays lineup is stacked, which could pose a problem for Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez. The young righty has some good stuff, but he's been having control issues of late (1.54 WHIP). Let's lay the small price and look for Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena to carry the Rays to yet another win!
Best Bet: Blue Jays (+120)
According to our numbers, this line is all wrong. The Jays should be a small favorite in this game, even on the road. The books are still pricing Aaron Nola like he's some kind of world-beater.
Nola still has a live arm, but he's just 2-2 this year with a 4.64 ERA. He'll be dealing against Alek Manoah of Toronto. Manoah really struggled to start the season, but he's got a 2.12 ERA over his last 3 starts.
Toronto also has a huge bullpen edge in this game. The Jays relievers have a combined ERA of 3.79, which is way better than Philly's 5.20. We'll ride the Jays at this generous underdog price!
Best Bet: Padres (+106)
Here's another case of the wrong team being favored. Minnesota has a slightly better record than San Diego, but they definitely won't have the starting pitcher edge in this one. Louie Varland has given up 4 homers in only 10.2 innings so far this year, which could be a problem when facing Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr.
Michael Wacha will be starting for San Diego, and though he doesn't have dynamic stuff, his hard-hit rate is only 31.7%. Varland's hard-hit rate is sitting at 46.7%, which is way higher than the league average.
These two bullpens are pretty decent, so there's no tangible edge for either squad in that department. We like San Diego's lineup more than Minny's. We'll take the Pads as a small dog! Woof!
