6 Expert Picks
The Phillies have been on a tear. ...
Can the Blue Jays turn their season around? ...
Let’s grab this now
The A's have a solid club. ...
The Royals have one of the stingiest lineups in the MLB. ...
Past Picks
The Dodgers should get to put their top guys up 3x in 5 innings….and Jordan Hicks is vulnerable. Plus, Yamamoto is really really hot but his projected numbers suggest slight regression.
Monday, look for the Reds to be a bit flat at the plate after an extra inning game yesterday against the San Francisco Giants. They’ll face lefty Jordan Montgomery who just limited the Reds to two runs over seven innings his last start, in a 4-3 Diamondbacks win. Look for a similar result today that will come under the total by a run or two. Take the under.
Yeah the Rockies just swept the Rangers, which no one saw coming ... But it came at Coors Field, where the Rox are bad, but just not historically awful. However, COL is somehow 3-16 on the road and 10 of those losses have come by 2 runs or more. The Friars are basically .500 home or road, and are 7-3 in their last 10 to pull into second in the AL West. Dakota Hudson is 0-5 for COL with a 6.35 ERA (though he has been better on road) and COL has lost 5 of his 7 starts by 2 runs or more. The key bats in the Padres lineup all have favorable splits against Hudson
Mariners starter George Kirby dealt with a knee issue earlier this month and has thrown 88 and 70 pitches in two May starts. He struck out three and four batters in those outings. Now he faces a Royals lineup that strikes out at the second-lowest rate and has the fifth-lowest chase percentage. Look for an effective outing from Kirby, but for him to stay Under six strikeouts.
The Diamondbacks won 6 of their last seven against the Reds. They swept the Reds last week on a four-game run before losing two at Baltimore, winning Sunday 9-2. The Reds have lost 10 of their last 11 games. They allowed five for more runs seven times during the 11 game stretch. The Reds aren't hitting and they blew a good hitting game yesterday that was 5-5 until losing. Arizona could get back to .500 with the sweep here. Diamondbacks to win.
After batting .354 last season, Luis Arraez is hitting .308 this year. He is a contact hitter who rarely strikes out, making him a nightmare matchup for Dakota Hudson. Hudson pitches to contact, registering just a 15.4 percent strikeout rate for his career. He does issue a lot of walks, but Arraez doesn’t walk much. This year, he has a 4.9 percent walk rate. At plus odds, I think the over here is a risk well worth taking.
The Royals, Phillies and Orioles are my favorite teams to bet on….and KC should keep this close early. We win a tie after 5. Small play.
This is a steep price to pay and I typically avoid this much juice, however I am working with a significant edge here. Lorenzen has been a reliable arm for the Rangers and gone 6 IP in four consecutive starts, however his K metrics are not pretty and suggest hes running hot on strikeouts, despite a 19.2% K rate. Lorenzen also gets an extremely tough draw against the Guardians who have excellent career numbers facing him. Shop around as there are significantly better numbers on the market.
Don't love this matchup but also don't think the Rangers should be getting the +1.5 at home so we'll play a little out of principle. Cleveland just lost three of four at the awful White Sox over the weekend and tonight's pitcher, Tanner Bibbe, had his worst outing of the season last time out. A few Rangers have good if limited splits off him. Texas was embarrassed over the weekend in a home sweep by Colorado but that only makes me like the Rangers more in this spot because they certainly won't rest any healthy key guys after that. The Texas bullpen is in very good shape at least.
There are plenty of ways to bet on baseball and plenty of sports betting terms to know when it comes to betting America's pastime. Every professional baseball team will play 162 regular season games, providing a wide range of baseball bets and MLB picks for you to consider. If you're new to the world of USA sports betting, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the sports betting terminology and number of sports betting sites available. Below are several baseball betting terms to help you make the best MLB picks this season.
Money line:The money line is the simplest and most common type of bet in baseball betting. You’re betting on one team to win outright. If a favorite is -150 on the money line, a $150 bet on that team to win outright would return $100. Conversely, if a team is a +200 underdog, a $100 bet would return $200.
Run line:The run line is a type of point spread bet in baseball. Instead of betting on which team will win the game, you bet on the margin of victory. One team is usually listed as a 1.5-run favorite. The other team is listed as a 1.5-run underdog, with corresponding odds attached to both MLB spreads.
Total (Over/Under):The Over/Under, also referred to as the total, is how many combined runs teams are expected to score in a baseball game. If the Over/Under is set at 8.5, then any combined score lower than that would make the Under cash. Nine or more runs is a win for the Over in your MLB picks.
Futures:Futures are long-term bets that won't resolve on the day they are placed. They are often placed preseason or in-season, and a popular baseball futures bet is picking which team will win the championship. Another is using the Over/Under, except in regards to a team's end-of-season win total. For example, the bar for the number of wins for New York’s pro baseball team could be 81.5, and a baseball futures bet is predicting if it will exceed that number.
Parlay:Parlays are simply the selection of two or more baseball picks on a single wager, where all outcomes must be correct in order for the bet to win. Although risky, parlays remain popular because of the potential to win large sums with minimal investments.
Prop (or proposition) bet:If you are looking for a fun way to bet on baseball, a prop bet is right for you. With a prop bet, you can wager on MLB picks like how many strikeouts a pitcher will record or whether a player will hit a home run.
First five innings (F5):A popular bet in baseball, first five innings (F5) is a wager on which team will be winning when five innings have been completed.
Team totals:The total, or Over/Under, usually refers to how many combined runs both teams score in a game, but team totals are popular as well. These are the MLB picks where a bettor will pick Over or Under on how many runs one team scores. If New York’s team total is set at 4.5, any runs total of five or higher would cash the Over, while anything fewer than five results in a win for the Under.
NRFI (No Runs First Inning):A popular bet for those who wager on baseball, NRFI stands for 'No Run First Inning.' The bet can be a bit risky considering both teams generally stack their best hitters towards the top of their lineups. The odds on NRFI bets are variable mostly depending on the quality of pitchers.
Player strikeouts:This bet refers to how many times a player will strike out in a single game. The Over/Under for total strikeouts is often 0.5 with adjusted odds for both wagers.
To hit a home run:If you think a player will hit a home run at any point in the game, you can place a bet, often times for a plus-money payout. You can also bet on who hits the first home run of the game.
To record a hit:Every player is assigned a total for hits in a single game, with bettors placing wagers on if they’ll exceed or fall short of the assigned total. For instance, if you place a bet on a player to record Over 1.5 hits, that player will need to finish with two hits for the bet to be a winner. If the player records just one hit, the bet is a loser.
Total bases:Another popular batter props bet is total bases. Bases are awarded on hits only, with the following scoring system: Single = 1 base, Double = 2 bases, Triple = 3 bases and Home Run = 4 bases.
To record an RBI:RBI stands for ‘Run Batted In.” Sportsbooks will offer an Over/Under on how many RBI a player will record in a single game.
1st inning total runs:An Over/Under is set on how many runs will be scored in the first inning. Oftentimes, Sportsbooks set the Over/Under for total runs scored in the first inning at 0.5 or 1.5.
Correct score:Correct score betting involves predicting the final score of a baseball game. These bets are typically hard to predict, which is why they’re often listed at plus-money odds. You can also predict the exact score of each inning at most sportsbooks.
Player performance doubles:This bet is similar to a parlay, meaning it involves two or more wagers. Player performance doubles often feature over/under starting pitcher strikeouts and a money line pick on which team will win outright.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)Q: Can I bet on a baseball game after it has begun?A: Yes, most sportsbooks offer live-betting, meaning you can place wagers on live-updated totals or even the outcome of the next at-bat.
Q: What happens if a baseball game is postponed?A: It will vary by sportsbook, but most will void and refund unless the game is rescheduled within a certain timeframe.
Q: What is a push in baseball sports betting?A: A push means the point spread or point total hits the exact number in which you bet. For example, if the Over/Under is eight runs, and the game finishes 5-3, the bet is a push and will be refunded.
Q: How do I know which team is the favorite?A: The favorite is usually listed with a negative number, while the underdog is listed with a positive number. For instance, if New York is favored to beat Boston, New York will be listed at -135 (risk $135 to win $100). As the underdog, Boston would be listed at +175 (risk $100 to $175).